Nascar

NASCAR – Mark Martin Leads the Field, Drivers Playing it Safe, Dale Jr Fastest in Practice

April 28, 2012 By Jay Tomchuk

Mark Martin has the pole for tonight's race in Richmond

Mark Martin is the oldest kid in the NASCAR sandbox, and yesterday he proved that he can still be the fastest. Turning the second fastest lap on his first run around the track there was nowhere to go but up. On his second time around the 3/4 mile D shaped oval he topped the speed set by Carl Edwards just minutes earlier to take the pole for tonight’s Capitol City 400 presented by Virginia is For Lovers. Setting the pace at 128.327 mph was enough for the 53 year old to take the coveted pole position. So how does the oldest kid on the block feel about taking his 5th pole in Richmond?

”As far as I’m concerned, this is just as big a deal,” he said.

After running his laps Martin showed his trademark humility about how his talent and experience kept him out front.

”I was very close to skinning the car up, especially off of four [on] the second lap,” Martin said. ”I’m driving it as hard as I can go, and at the very limits of my talent.”

“I did not ask Rodney [Childers] what he put under the car,” said Martin. “We made some improvements to the car in happy Hour [final practice] in race setup right at the end.

“If it would have been me, I probably would have incorporated those changes into the qualifying setup, and I didn’t want to ask Rodney if he did or not, or what he did to the car. All I want to do is roll out on the race track with no preconceived notion and drive it as fast as it’d go and rely on him and his judgment.”

“I was really hoping that he [Childers] would call me [on the radio] on the first lap and tell me to shut it down — I told him to tell me to shut it down if we happened to get the pole on the first lap. When he didn’t, I was afraid, ‘Oh, no, we’re 15th-fastest. That wasn’t near fast enough, and I’ve really got to get up on the wheel.’

“I was very close to skinning the car up, especially off of [Turn] 4 on the second lap, and that was my concern. That was my concern in practice, as well. Both the qualifying runs I made in practice, I almost skinned it up, too. So I was driving as hard as I can go — at the very limit of my talent, for sure — and if I keep pushing the limits, I’m going to run out of talent here, one of these days.”

Carl Edwards will sit on the outside of row 1 beside Mark Martin.

Carl Edwards will be sitting on the outside of row 1 beside Martin when the green flag drops tonight. Edwards’ top lap at 128.290 had hung on through 17 drivers, but when Martin moved to second on the scoring tower with his first lap, Edwards paid much closer attention.

”I thought we had him, and then he shot up to the top of the scoreboard,” he said.

Edwards was asked how he feels his 2012 season is playing out and what he feels about the fans concerns about the log green flags in the previous races causing a drop in the ratings from fans looking for more excitement in the form of wrecks and/or tempers flaring on and off the track.

“We are [11th] in points and don’t have a win,” Edwards said of his status. “It is not like we are tied for first right now. We have to be very cautious with our points. Let’s say we know some things. Let’s assume some things that are true. Right now we don’t have the fastest car on the race track every week so we can say, ‘Alright for the next 16 or 18 races we might still not have the fastest car.’

“Under the old points system we would say, ‘Damn, we are already ninth and not running that great, let’s just go for it here. Let’s do some crazy stuff and get a win or two and have some fun.’ But we can’t do that now because we say that we have to make it into the top 10. We cannot give up any points.

“What we are banking on, what we hope comes is that we hope in those last 10 races that we are good enough then to go shoot for the championship.”

“If you were in my position you would never be able to forgive yourself if you were ninth in points here in Richmond and they drop the green flag on the last restart and you have a great race car and you go for some banzai run and wreck the thing and don’t make the Chase.

“Let’s say those last 10 races we have a hell of a run and would have won the thing if we would have made it. I would be a moron to give it up right here at Richmond. I don’t know if that is right or wrong but that is why it ends up this way because guys start to think, ‘OK, just gather all your troops here, focus, work everything out, make the Chase and then go get ‘em.’ That wasn’t intended by NASCAR I am sure but that is the way we feel.”

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Dale Jr talks about his newly returned confidence and the firestorm he caused by saying he is"the best driver" in the Hendrick stable.

Last week some comments by Dale Earnhardt Jr caused a bit of a firestorm in the garage when he stated that he felt he was the best driver at Hendrick Motorsports, maybe even the best in the entire garage. In Friday’s interview session at Richmond International Raceway he reconfirmed his opinion and then in final practice for Saturday’s Capital City 400, put an exclamation point on it by outrunning 44 other drivers.

“That is a healthy debate, that is healthy among race fans as far as who is the best driver,” Earnhardt said. “All the drivers in the garage feel like they are the best, individually, and they should. That is kind of the way you have to approach it.

“I figured that was definitely debatable and the race fans are going to voice their opinion and that’s good. I certainly don’t like to rock any boats, but you have to answer the question honestly.”

Jr lays a lot of his confidence at the feet of Steve Letarte for giving him the best equipment he can, and for being the best cheerleader in the business. Keeping his mind in the game when frustration might normally take over, and keeping him focused on the race are just a few of the things Jr credits his crew chief for.

“He’s definitely made me more accountable, would be a way to explain it for the words I choose to use and how I choose to describe the car to him,” Earnhardt said of Letarte. ”He’s not going to put up with me verbally abusing him or the equipment. I wouldn’t expect anything less than him being a professional, as well.”

“I think we have a good in-race relationship. He does a really good job of providing me with information and calming me that we are going to fix any issues we have. I feel confident that he has fixed enough issues and improved the car during enough races that I don’t really get as worried about it when something isn’t quite right. I know that the chances of it getting improved and fixed are really good.

“I’ve got great confidence in him and his abilities to orchestrate the weekend as good as I would expect. We get along really good because of that confidence between each other. I think there is good trust there, too.”

That confident attitude send waves through his team and pit crew as well.

“I learned a long time ago that if you don’t have confidence in your car that can be problematic for you,” Earnhardt said. “If you don’t have confidence in your crew chief then that can be problematic for you and if you don’t have the same confidence in yourself it’s not conducive to being successful.

“You have to feel like you’re here and you’re the best and that is the way you should feel. In any profession, you have to have that kind of confidence.”

So off we go to Richmond tonight, under the lights, for what some drivers call a race on the ultimate short track. Get those helmet straps and set belts tightened folks, it’s looking like a good race tonight.

Filed Under: Capitol City 400 presented by Virginia is For Lovers, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., mark-martin, Motorsport, Nascar, Richmond International Raceway, Richmond Virginia, RIR

NASCAR – Hamlin Takes the Checkered Flag in Kansas, Leaving Martin Truex in the Wind.

April 23, 2012 By Jay Tomchuk

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag at Kansas on Sunday after passing Martin Truex Jr with 30 laps to go and holding him off until the checkered flag.

The #56 NAPA Auto Parts car piloted by Martin Truex looked untouchable. For most of the day he was, leading mosre laps in one race than he has in 2 season previous in total, Martin Truex looked like he ws the one to beat, and then the sun came out. When the sun came out it loosened up everyone in the field, but for Truex it spelled the end as Denny Hamlin’s #11 Fed EX car improved enough under the new track conditions that, with 30 laps to go, he was finally able to make the pass and hold off Martin Truex Jr. right up to the checkered flag. Truex gave it all he had making 2 serious dive bomb attempts at retaking the lea but it simply was too little and too late to catch Hamlin before the checkered flag.

“Whether it was coincidence or not, our car definitely seemed like, [relative] to the field, was better once the sun came out,” Hamlin said. “I felt like our car lost a lot of grip when the sun came out, but I guess a lot of guys did when that happened. I felt like all day I was behind the No. 56 [Truex], and his car looked so superior to the field.”

“We just needed some kind of change — weather or adjustments or something to get where he was at — and we kind of got both of them. In overcast conditions, the cars run a little bit tighter, the grip level’s higher in the race car, and it’s more of a track-position type race. When the sun’s out, the drivers, in my opinion, are more prominent.”

“You move around, find the grip, do things in the car to make up for what you don’t have. The slicker the conditions are, the better it tends to [be] for our race team. Luckily, we had that run in sunshine.”

Martin Truex was very dissappointed with his second place finish in Kansas

For Truex the 2nd place finish was the most disheartening second place finish he has ever felt. After being the dominant car all day long, to lose because of something as simple as sunshie really burned the leader of the MWR team.

“I guess if we can be this disappointed with second, it shows how far we’ve come as a race team,” he said.

“I felt like [Sunday] was kind of a day where I thought I was back, and felt really strong that we’d have a car that could contend for the win going into the race. And then to be able to do that all day long, it was a good feeling.”

“I know our wins are going to come. We just need to keep running like we are. It’s been a long time since I’ve won, and I know I’m capable of it, and that’s the most disappointing thing, letting one slip away [Sunday]. If I had made a mistake or we’d made a bad adjustment or something, it would probably be a little bit easier to swallow, to be honest. But to put tires on, and not touch the car, and all of a sudden the car drives worse than it has all day, it is pretty frustrating when you haven’t won in a while. But again, I’ve got a lot of confidence in this team right now. … Good things are in the future for us, and I’ve just got to keep looking at that direction.”

When asked about his moves at the end while trying to retake the leads, Truex hinted at his frustration in his desperate moves.

“Desperation,” Truex said wryly. “I was a little bit faster than Denny at the end, but he was running against the wall right where I needed to be, and I was just trying to gain a little bit of ground.

“It was desperation — last-ditch effort — just trying something. There was no chance to make it work.”

“I’m just not really sure what to think of that last set of tires,” Truex said. “The car had been really good all day, we put the last set on, and I was just wrecking loose for the first 20 laps of that last run.

“Denny was able to get by me, and once he did, the race was over. The car got better longer in the run, and I was able to get back to him, but I’d get three or four car-lengths from him and pick up the aero push …

Jimmie Johnson feels his 3rd place finish is showing that his team is ready to be back in contention.

Jimmie Johnson however feels strongly that his 3rd place finish was a show that he and his race team are back and ready to be in contention.

“This week it doesn’t register,” Johnson said. “To me, last week at Texas [and] the week before, to lead a lot of laps at Martinsville and have our cars be one, two, three and not get the victory … [Sunday], to get near the end and not close the deal does sting. We ran well but we weren’t a dominant car and kind of finished where we should have.

“[Sunday] doesn’t bother me. Sure, I’d love to [win the 200th], but the No. 56 [Truex] and the No. 11 [Hamlin] at the end had more pace than we did.”

“I commend Chad for trying something a little different, strategy-wise,” Johnson said. “If things would’ve played out different at the end, maybe we could’ve put two on while the other guys were putting four — something, just trying to give us some options.

“I don’t think it affected our finish. We got basically back to where we were [before the stop]. I think I was ahead of the No. 11 but the No. 11 was real strong that last run and went up there and got the win.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr had another strong showing with a 7th place finish, good enough to keep him in 4th in the overall points. Steve Letarte, in an intervfiew with Claire B. Lange from Sirius / XM NASCAR radio, said it isn’t how far you are frm teh top, they’re more concerned with not falling past 11th in the standings. 64 points ahead of 11th place is the way they are thinking right now. If they can remain as consistant as they have been so far this season, the wins will happen, as long as they don’t get ffrustrated before they get there.

Tony Stewart, the reigning 2011 champion had another off day with the #14 Mobil 1 car. Starting back in the field in 29th he never really seemed to gain any traction in his move towards the front. Coming on strong at the end of the race he managed to improve his position up to 13th dropping him to 8th in teh overall points.

Next week we head to Richmond for the first of 2 races there. Richmond being a short track is usually as very aggressive race, however the feeling doesn’t really seem to be there for the first race of the season. Drivers and crew chiefs both expect to see a lot of green flag racing in comparison to what we will see in the fall. Only time will tell.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Kansas Speedway, Martin Truex Jr., Motorsport, Nascar, STP 400, tony-stewart

NASCAR – Allmendinger Wins the Pole At Kansas, Engine Trouble for Logano Moves Him to the Back of the Field

April 22, 2012 By Jay Tomchuk

A.J. Allmendinger gets his first pole driving for Penske Racing and his first since Phoenix in 2010.

A.J. Allmendinger has been here before, leading the field to the green flag, but this is his first in his new ride with Penske in the number 22 AAA sponsored ride. This is the 97th all time pole for Penske racing and after waching almost the entire field qualify before him, Allmendinger edged Kevin Harvick (175.747 mph) by .043 seconds at the 1.5-mile intermediate speedway to take the poole position at Kansas Motor Speedway. How does Allmendinger deal with the pressure of being new to a team who us used to success on the race track?

“More than anything, I put so much pressure on my shoulders to go out there and perform,” Allmendinger said. “They [his Penske team] are used to winning, running up front, getting poles. It’s good just to build momentum.

“So, hopefully, we have a solid 400 miles. It’s good, but we know the bigger picture’s on Sunday, and I’m happy to be part of the team.”

Kevin Harvick will sit on the outside of Allmendinger after qualifying second for the STP 400 in Kansas

Kevin Harvick will start beside him on the outside in position 2. Harvick had an excellent lap in the making but got “a little excited” as he entered the final 2 corners and lost a little bit of ground.

“That might have cost us the pole, but overall it’s been a great year for us qualifying-wise so far,” Harvick said. “The cars have been fast every week, and as soon as we put together a whole weekend without me making a mistake or things not going exactly right, I think everything’s going to come together nicely.

“So I’m pretty happy with the way everything’s gone so far this year.”

So what about the other big names in NASCAR? Teams that carry the big names in the sport, Roush and Hendrick have been the power houses in the sport for the past few seasons, and yet that strength hasn’t really been shown on the track so far this season.

Greg Biffle, the current points leader and last weeks winner in Texas, was asked about the pecking order of the team. After delivering his first win in 49 starts last weekened, who is the #1 driver in the Roush Stables? Carl Edwards did sign a multi million dollar contract to re-up with Roush for the next 4 season, and his team finished second in points in 2011 by being consistant, but only marked one win fo the season. So far this season Edwards has yet to lead a lap. But if he were to choose one racetrack this year to get that win and break his 40 race losing streak, Kansas would be where he wants it most.

Biffle is leading in the points and Edwards has yet to score a win in over 40 races. So who is at the top of the pecking order in the Roush Stables?

“There would be no bigger win on the circuit,” Edwards said. “If I had to choose between winning one race throughout the year, that would be the one I would pick. The amount of pride that I would have — winning that close to home and in front of so many people that are friends of mine and people that have helped me — that would be huge.”

But who is the number one driver in the Roush stables as they see it? Who is getting the better deal when it comes to equipment? Both Edwards and Biffle were very coy with their response to that question.

“No, I still think the No. 99 [Edwards] is the number one team at Roush,” Biffle said Friday, allowing the smile to play at the corners of his mouth. “I’m the underdog.”

Edwards disagrees. Based on current performance, he says it’s easy to identify the top team at Roush.

“Right now, Greg is the No. 1 team — the No. 16 team is — because they’re leading the points and winning races,” Edwards said.

Dale Jr feels that right now, he is the best driver in the Hendrick Stable, and he very confident about that feeling.

So what about the most consistant driver in the Hendrick stables ths season, Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Is there a pecking order at Hendrick Motorsports that decides who get the best equipment? How does he feel about his chances in the 2012 season?

Asked whether he thought Johnson was a better driver, Earnhardt was emphatic in his response.

“No, he’s a hell of a race car driver, but I feel like I’m the best,” Earnhardt said. “I think that’s the way you have to feel. I feel like I’m smarter than everybody, and I can drive better than everybody, and I know a lot of people ain’t going to agree with that, but I feel pretty strong about it.”

“There is a bit of a pecking order, and it really comes down to what you’ve done lately,” Earnhardt said Friday at Kansas. “I think that Jimmie and Jeff will always carry a certain role in that company that I will probably never achieve, just due to them being there that long and having that trust built up with Rick [Hendrick] and all the employees there — and their accomplishments, obviously.”

So on to the track we go in Kansas for the STP 400 to decide the winner, and who has done the most lately in the pecking order for both of these power house teams.

Filed Under: A.J. Allmendinger, Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, jeff gordon, jimmie-johnson, Kansas Speedway, Motorsport, Nascar, STP 400

NASCAR – Biffle Wins in Texas After Passing Johnson During the Longest Green Flag Run Ever

April 15, 2012 By Jay Tomchuk

Greg Biffle took the checkered flag in Texas to win the Samsung Mobile 500

Saving equipment and saving fuel while trying to run down the leader sounds like an impossible task with impossible odds, but that is exactly what Greg Biffle had to do in order to take the checkered flag in Texas last night for the Samsung Mobile 500. Johnson had led a total of 156 laps when Biffle finally passed him with only 34 laps to go, taking advantage of the only mistake Johnson had made all night when he brushed the wall and lost momentum after the pass to extend his lead to where Johnson could not catch him.

“I just dug deep,” Biffle said. “I knew I had to do it and kept trying and trying and trying. I knew the team would forgive me if I wrecked it trying to beat him, so I gave it all I had.”

This is Biffle first win since Oct 3, 2010 at Kansas breaking a 49 race winless streak, and the first win with crew chief Matt Puccia.

“I could say it’s about time,” said Biffle, “But I’m just thankful to be able to drive these cars, as fast as they are. We knew it was a matter of time that we were going to win one soon — we’ve been running so good.”

“I was a little short on fuel, so I kind of lifted a little early and let the car roll down through the corners. When he started catching a little bit of traffic, that’s when I started going.”

“I just pushed as hard as I could, and I was driving the thing sideways around the corner trying to catch him. I could tell I was catching him, and he had a little trouble with traffic.”

In fact Jimmie Johnson, who took his 5th runner up finish of his career in Texas, was taking offense to the way the cars who were laps down were racing him near the end.

Jimmie Johns ran for his 5th second place finish in Texas after leading the most laps for the day with 156.

“Man, second sucks — I wish we could have won,” Johnson said. “I’m definitely disappointed but we had a great race car and there’s a lot to be proud of here. Our pit stops were just amazing all night long. We had a very, very fast race car and a little bit more respect through some lapped traffic … it could’ve been a little different.”

“When I caught lapped traffic, some guys that were multiple laps down didn’t show much respect for myself, the leader,” said Johnson. “Before I knew it, the No. 16 [Biffle] was there inside of me and got by.

“We ran with him for the next eight or 10 laps, and then I made a mistake into [Turn] 3 and hit the fence. At that point, I just needed to make sure I brought it home. A great night, all in all. I certainly wish we could be in Victory Lane, but we’ll try again next week.”

“We’ve been really close over the last five or six months,” said Johnson. “You look through last year, even through different points, leading a lot of races and didn’t execute at the end for whatever reason.

“It’s nice to be running well. It’s nice to be in this position. But I want to get back to our winning ways really soon.”

Johnson led Team Hendrick with the best finish but all 4 Hendrick cars finished inside the top 10. Gordon finished 4th, Kasey Kahne finished 7th and Dale Jr, who has been the most consistent Hendrick driver this season, finished in 10th and tied for 2nd place in overall points now with Matt Kenseth.

Kasey Kahne had his best finish of the season so far in 7th, and inside the top 10 with all of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates.

Kasey Kahne was sure that the 48 car was going to get the 200th win for Handrick Motorsports but is just was not in the cards.

“I thought Jimmie had it [Saturday] night,” Kahne said. “I wasn’t worried about it, I thought it was over. Every time I looked up there the No. 48 was leading. Then, I guess 15 [laps] to go I looked up and the No. 16 was leading. Then I thought ‘well maybe not.’

“Those guys have been working hard since before I got here. They’ve been trying to get that 200th. It would be great to get it soon. Any one of the four, we need to get it done and get past that.”

Jeff Gordon is also feeling the pressure for wanting to be the driver who scores that win for Rick Hendrick.

“I’m thinking about it all of the time, and Rick reminds us all the time that it would be nice to get that out of the way,” Jimmie Johnson said. “Man, we’ve been all around it and had a lot of shots at it, and unfortunately just haven’t been able to pull it off.”

Jeff Gordon is feeling the pressure of getting the 200th win for the Hendrick Motorsports team.

“It’s on all of our minds. It’s pressure. We know that Rick doesn’t come to every single race, and right now he’s coming to every race, because he doesn’t want to miss that 200th, and none of us want him to,” Gordon said.

“We’ll keep digging, we’ll keep trying. And we know it’s going to happen — I mean, our teams are just too good, and we’re running too good. We know it’s going to happen, it’s just when. It would be nice to kind of get that one out of the way, because it is somewhat becoming this heavy load that we’re carrying.”

Next week takes us to Kansas for the STP 400, starting at 12:30 pm on Sunday. Coverage will still be carried by Fox.

Filed Under: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Hendrick Motorsports, Jack Roush, jeff gordon, jimmie-johnson, Kasey Kahne, matt kenseth, Motorsport, Nascar, Rick Hendrick, Samsung Mobile 500, Texas Motorspeedway

NASCAR – Martin Truex Sets The Pace in Texas for the Samsung Mobile 500

April 14, 2012 By Jay Tomchuk

Martin Truex sets the pace for the 2012 Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway

For the second time in his racing career Martin Truex Jr will lead the field to the green flag at Texas Motor Speedway. He will be watching his rear view mirror closely however, as the defending race champion Matt Kenseth will be close on his tail starting from his best start ever in Texas, second. Truex in his No. 56 Toyota posted a lap at 190.369 mph (28.366 seconds) to edge defending race winner Matt Kenseth (190.148 mph) for the top starting spot.

Truex, who is tied for third in the Cup standings with Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart, is looking to get his first win since Dover in 2007.

“That’s our main goal. This team’s good enough. We can get to Victory Lane. We’re going to do it soon. I feel good about this team. I’m just having so much fun coming to the race track and driving these cars.”

“We’re going to make them proud here pretty quick.”

Tony Stewart will be one to watch as he tries to move forward from his 29th place starting position.

Tony Stewart, who has won four of the past six races on 1.5-mile tracks, including the past three (he’s a two-time winner at Texas, most recently this past November) will be one to watch tonight as he makes his way forward from his 29th place starting position. Stewart brushed the wall in practice before qualifying and opted to go with his back up car. Suprisingly, the back up car seemed to respond to changes better than the primary car was.

With the pole secure, Truex will try to win his first race since June 2007, when he claimed his only Cup victory at Dover.

“That’s our main goal,” said Truex, who is tied for third in the Cup standings with Kenseth, Kevin Harvick and Tony Stewart. “This team’s good enough. We can get to Victory Lane. We’re going to do it soon. I feel good about this team. I’m just having so much fun coming to the race track and driving these cars.

“We’re going to make them proud here pretty quick.”

Stewart qualified 29th in a backup car after scraping the outside wall during the second lap of Friday’s 90-minute practice session. The accident may have been a blessing in disguise for the Stewart, who found the backup No. 14 Chevrolet more responsive to adjustments than his primary car.

“I just got loose and didn’t have enough race track to get it gathered up,” Stewart said of the brush with the wall. “We haven’t got a lot of laps on this one [the backup car], but I think we feel better with this one so far.

“It’s doing everything that we were trying to get the other one to do … The top-tier teams, their backup cars are just as good as their primary cars, so definitely no concerns.”

Dale Jr feels like hs is on the cusp of returning to his winning ways.

Dale Earnhardt Jr is looking good with his refound confidence that his fans remember. Sitting second in points over all and making it look easy, Jr says he is ready to win, and hopes it will be in Texas where he got his first ever Sprint Cup win.

“We’re getting closer. I feel like we’re getting closer,” Earnhardt said. “I don’t really know what the measuring stick is, but hopefully it’s real close. I’m ready to win. I’m ready to go to Victory Lane. I’ve been working with these guys, and they’re working so hard. They’re giving me really, really good cars. They deserve to win races. I think the team deserves it. Ready to make that happen. We’re just going to keep trying. We’re getting closer, though. That’s the bright spot.”

But don’t count out the Roushketeers either. Matt Kenseth comes to Texas as the defending race champion, and Gerg Biffle is leading the overall points battle. Carl Edwards sits just outside the top 10 in eleventh position, and is still chomping at the bit after losing the championship to Tony Stewart after tying in points.

The three current Roushketeers were not only among the most consistent drivers last year, they were the strongest. All three swept the top five and all of them finished the AAA Texas 500 within three spots of their spring effort. Just as important, the group carried that momentum over from previous seasons, which gives them a balance of recent momentum and career strength.

Kenseth may very well be the strongest of the three at Texas. His victory in this race last year was the second on this track during his career, but the first since 2002. He wasn’t simply logging laps in the intervening years, however; the driver of the No. 17 earned four runner-up finishes from 2006 through 2010, as well as another two third-place results. In his last 13 attempts, he has amassed nine top-fives and finished worse than 12th only once. Moreover, he’s earned these results despite a variety of circumstances that include green-white-checkered finishes, fuel mileage races and rain-delayed events.

Filed Under: Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, jimmie-johnson, Martin Truex Jr., matt kenseth, Motorsport, Nascar, Samsung Mobile 500, Texas Motorspeedway, tony-stewart