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	<title>Lead Lap&#039;s NASCAR News &#187; Sprint Cup</title>
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		<title>Johnson Wins Record Fourth Sprint All-Star Race</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/19/johnson-wins-record-fourth-sprint-all-star-race/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/19/johnson-wins-record-fourth-sprint-all-star-race/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2013 05:10:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NASCAR Wire Service</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jimmie Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joey Logano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kasey Kahne]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kurt Busch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kyle Busch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint All-Star Race]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Showdown]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9418</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Jimmie Johnson won the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, breaking a tie with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr for most wins in the non-points race.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/jjallstar2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9419" alt="Jimmie Johnson does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 18, 2013 in Concord, North Carolina." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/jjallstar2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>The Brothers Busch won the first four segments of Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but Jimmie Johnson took the one the counted—the 10-lap dash to the finish—and continued to build his legacy, not to mentioned his bank account.</p>
<p>Speeding away from Hendrick Motorsports teammate Kasey Kahne after a restart on Lap 81 of 90, Johnson won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series all-star exhibition race for a record fourth time, beating charging Joey Logano to the stripe by 1.722 seconds.</p>
<p>Kyle Busch, who won the second and third segments of 20-laps each, ran third, followed by Kahne and Kurt Busch. The elder Busch brother won the first and fourth segments and was first onto pit road before the final dash but exited fifth with a less-than-stellar pit stop.</p>
<p>Despite changes to his pit crew this week, Johnson’s over-the-wall gang performed an 11-second pit stop that got him out of the pits on the front row, beside Kahne, for the final restart. Ultimately, that made all the difference.</p>
<p>With the victory, Johnson broke a tie with teammate Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Sr. for most wins in the non-points race, won his second straight All-Star Race and collected $1 million for his efforts.</p>
<p>&#8220;To beat Jeff and Earnhardt, two guys I’ve looked up to my whole life—two massive icons of our sport—this means the world to me,&#8221; said Johnson, who started 18th after sliding through his pit box and drawing a penalty for a loose lug nut during Friday’s qualifying session.</p>
<p>&#8220;I really didn’t think we had a shot at winning tonight, starting (18th), but we had a great race car and worked our way through there and got the job done. Over time, honestly, it’s just dedication and drive from every member at Hendrick Motorsports, every member on this No. 48 team. We’re very proud of what we’ve accomplished, but we know we’ve got to keep pushing harder and pushing one another.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kyle Busch thought he had the fastest car, but a slower-than-usual four-tire stop put his No. 18 Toyota on the second row for the final restart.</p>
<p>&#8220;We just didn’t get the best pit stop there at the end to get us out on the front row, and when you’re back behind cars, you’re getting beat up on,&#8221; Busch said. &#8220;It is what it is. We’ll just take this as a good learning day and hopefully bring back some speed like this to the (Coca-Cola) 600 (May 26).&#8221;</p>
<p>NASCAR’s luck with weather held Saturday night, with a large enough window to complete the race with just one delay.</p>
<p>With Kurt Busch leading from the outset, NASCAR called a caution because of rain after Lap 8 and red-flagged the race after 13 laps when the shower intensified. The drivers came to pit road, parked in their stalls and waited.</p>
<p>The rain didn’t come soon enough, however, to save reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski. On the second lap, transmission troubles sent his No. 2 Penske Racing Ford to the garage.</p>
<p>&#8220;Something just broke in the back half of the drive train, either the transmission or drive shaft gear – I’m not sure which one – but it’s one of those deals, unfortunately,&#8221; Keselowski said. &#8220;We’ll try to learn from it and move on.&#8221;</p>
<p>With Keselowski in the garage, the race resumed after a stoppage of 41 minutes 28 seconds. Kurt Busch pulled away from brother Kyle Busch to win the first 20-lap segment by .751 seconds.</p>
<p>Kyle Busch kept the second segment in the family, pulling away from Clint Bowyer after a restart on Lap 29—after Ricky Stenhouse Jr. bounced off the Turn 4 wall and knocked Mark Martin for a loop through the grass in the quad-oval.</p>
<p>Jamie McMurray led wire-to-wire to win the Sprint Showdown and transfer into the main event. McMurray, who started second, took two tires during the halfway competition caution after 20 laps and pulled away to beat Cup rookie Stenhouse to the finish line by 1.226 seconds.</p>
<p>Stenhouse transferred into the All-Star Race as the second-place finisher. His romantic interest, Danica Patrick, finished ninth in the Showdown but punched her ticket into the All-Star Race as the winner of the Sprint Fan vote.</p>
<p>&#8220;Obviously being out front is massive,&#8221; McMurray said during the break between the Showdown and the main event. &#8220;When I got by (polesitter) Martin (Truex Jr.) at the start of the race… I was trying to take it easy because I didn&#8217;t know with the track being green how quickly the tires would fall off, and even running at like 80 percent it was amazing what a difference just being in clean air was.</p>
<p>&#8220;I had a really good car in practice (Friday). I thought honestly the 56 (Truex) and I had the two best cars looking at times yesterday, and then the two tire stop was the right call for us. It got us up front.&#8221;</p>
<p>McMurray’s words proved prophetic. Being out front for the final 10-lap run was crucial to Johnson’s record run.</p>
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		<title>Crew Members Suspended For Violating Substance Abuse Policy</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/15/9424/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/15/9424/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 15 May 2013 05:42:51 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Asides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nationwide]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nationwide Series]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9424</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Two NASCAR crew members have been suspended for violating NASCAR&#8217;s substance abuse policy. Jackson L. Dodson II, a crew member in the Sprint Cup Series and Frank W. Earnhardt, a crew member in the Nationwide Series, were indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Two NASCAR crew members have been suspended for violating NASCAR&#8217;s substance abuse policy.</p>
<p>Jackson L. Dodson II, a crew member in the Sprint Cup Series and Frank W. Earnhardt, a crew member in the Nationwide Series, were indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2013 NASCAR Rule Book.</p>
<div>Dodson was found to have violated the rules on May 9th, while Earnhardt was found to have violated the rules on May 10.</div>
<div></div>
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		<title>Kenseth Surges To Third 2013 Victory At Darlington</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/12/kenseth-surges-to-third-2013-victory-at-darlington/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/12/kenseth-surges-to-third-2013-victory-at-darlington/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 12 May 2013 04:57:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NASCAR Wire Service</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denny Hamlin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Gordon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jimmie Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Harvick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9410</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth won the Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, his third Sprint Cup Series victory of the season.   ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/mkdarlington2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9411" alt="Matt Kenseth, driver of the #20 The Home Depot / Husky Toyota, performs a burnout in celebration of winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 11, 2013 in Darlington, South Carolina." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/mkdarlington2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>Unsinkable.</p>
<p>Unsinkable Matt Kenseth capped a banner week for unsinkable Joe Gibbs Racing with a victory in Saturday night&#8217;s Bojangles&#8217; Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway with a substitute crew chief on his pit box—the unsinkable Wally Brown.</p>
<p>The past four days could hardly have been better for JGR, with Wednesday bringing a substantial reduction in penalties on appeal for an engine infraction Apr, 21 at Kansas. On Friday, Gibbs cars ran 1-2-3 in the Nationwide Series race at Darlington, and the organization followed that Saturday with a 1-2 finish from Kenseth and Denny Hamlin in the 11th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season.</p>
<p>Kenseth took the lead from JGR teammate Kyle Busch on Lap 355 of 367 and pulled away to win by 3.155 seconds over Hamlin, as Busch faded to sixth. Hamlin also had much to celebrate in his first full race back from a compression fracture to his first lumbar vertebra, sustained during a last-lap crash at Fontana, Calif., in late March.</p>
<p>It was a race of significant numbers. Jeff Gordon finished third in his 700th Cup start, all consecutive. Jimmie Johnson ran fourth and extended his series lead to a massive 44 points over seventh-place finisher Carl Edwards. In a race that saw just four drivers pace the field, Kyle Busch led 265 laps but faded to sixth at the finish, thanks to a cut tire on the final 30-lap green-flag run.</p>
<p>Journeyman Brown won his first race as a Cup crew chief, after serving with four different drivers before his one-week shot on the pit box with Kenseth, who will get regular crew chief Jason Ratcliff back next week at Charlotte after Ratcliff&#8217;s six-race suspension for an underweight connecting rod was reduced to one event on appeal.</p>
<p>But the day belonged to Kenseth, whose resilience under trying circumstances was emblematic of the organization he joined this season.</p>
<p>&#8220;Honestly, I&#8217;ve only dreamed about winning the Southern 500,&#8221; said Kenseth, who notched his first victory at Darlington, his third of the season and the 27th of his career. &#8220;This to me probably feels bigger than any win in my career. I really feel bad that Jason isn&#8217;t here. This is obviously his team and his effort, but Wally did a great job filling in.</p>
<p>&#8220;We had a fifth- or sixth-place car, fighting loose, (and) those last two adjustments (on pit road) were just awesome.&#8221;</p>
<p>For Hamlin, second place was the best he could have hoped for, given the strength of Kenseth&#8217;s car in the closing laps.</p>
<p>&#8220;For me, we kept grinding away,&#8221; Hamlin said, clearly tired from the effort of his first race back at one of NASCAR racing&#8217;s most demanding tracks. &#8220;Pit crew picked us up some spots, obviously, throughout the night.</p>
<p>&#8220;It was one of those days where we got our car better, pit crew picked us up positions, took us to the most optimum spot we could get to—and that was second.&#8221;</p>
<p>From a physical standpoint, Hamlin admitted the race took its toll.</p>
<p>&#8220;Really, it&#8217;s just like starting your season over,&#8221; he said. &#8220;To start it back over at Darlington for 500 miles, there&#8217;s some muscles that have gotten weak. I&#8217;ve gotten pretty sore and tired, mentally tired as well. We&#8217;ll have a couple of weeks really to rest until the next long event (Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte), and we&#8217;ll be good to go then.&#8221;</p>
<p>A caution for Regan Smith&#8217;s spin off Turn 2 on Lap 302 of 367—only the second yellow of the race—interrupted a cycle of green-flag pit stops. After Juan Pablo Montoya took a free pass as the highest scored lap car, and Harvick availed himself of a wave-around, there were 11 cars on the lead lap for a restart on Lap 309.</p>
<p>By then, Kyle Busch had led 218 laps and had dominated the race ever since he wrested the lead from his brother, polesitter Kurt Busch on Lap 74. But the pit stops on Lap 303 put the lead-lap cars on the edge of their fuel windows.</p>
<p>They need not have worried. On Lap 311, Casey Mears tangled with Kurt Busch and reigning series champion Brad Keselowski off Turn 4 to cause the third caution. All but the top-four cars came to pit road for fuel under the yellow, leaving Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Gordon out front on slightly older tires.</p>
<p>Johnson was first off pit road with new tires and quickly moved to third. Busch fended off a challenge from Kahne right after the restart and held a lead of .850 seconds when an accident involving David Reutimann and Josh Wise brought out the fourth caution and gave the lead-lappers a chance to pit for tires.</p>
<p>Kahne briefly took the lead after a restart on Lap 333, but one lap later, Kahne&#8217;s Chevy slapped the wall near the apex of Turns 1 and 2 and the race went yellow for the fifth time.</p>
<p>The result was the same. Busch pulled away after the restart and opened a comfortable advantage, this time over Kenseth, only to have Kenseth run him down and pass him on Lap 355.</p>
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		<title>Ragan Beats Goliaths In Cup Race At Talladega</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/06/ragan-beats-goliaths-in-astonishing-cup-race-at-talladega/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/06/ragan-beats-goliaths-in-astonishing-cup-race-at-talladega/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 06 May 2013 03:19:03 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NASCAR Wire Service</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carl Edwards]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Gilliland]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[David Ragan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Front Row Motorsports]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jimmie Johnson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Waltrip]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9403</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[David Ragan led an extraordinary 1-2 finish for Front Row Motorsports, which had never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race before Sunday.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/drdega2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9398" alt="David Ragan, driver of the #34 Farm Rich Ford, wins  NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway on May 5, 2013 in Talladega, Alabama." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/drdega2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>In the type of stunning victory that has typified racing at Talladega Superspeedway since its inception, David Ragan led an extraordinary 1-2 finish for Front Row Motorsports, which had never won a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race before Sunday.</p>
<p>David Gilliland pushed Ragan, his teammate, to the lead on the final circuit in a green-white checkered-flag finish that took Sunday&#8217;s Aaron&#8217;s 499 four laps past its scheduled distance of 188 laps. Gilliland came home second, followed by pole sitter Carl Edwards, Michael Waltrip and series leader Jimmie Johnson.</p>
<p>As Ragan put it, two Davids beat the Goliaths of NASCAR racing in one of the sport’s most unlikely finishes ever.</p>
<p>Ragan&#8217;s victory followed a massive wreck that took the race to overtime&#8211;and to near-darkness, in what truly was truly was a Talladega night. In fact, NASCAR gave the drivers a chance to change their tinted visors for clear ones during the final caution.</p>
<p>Afterwards, Ragan tried to put the win in perspective.</p>
<p>&#8220;I can only imagine what it felt like back in 1988 when Mark Martin got that first win for Jack Roush or when Geoff Bodine won that first race for Hendrick Motorsports,&#8221; said Ragan, who scored his only Sprint Cup win at Daytona in July 2011, his last season with Jack Roush. &#8220;I’m sure it was just as special.</p>
<p>&#8220;A lot of these guys have been to Victory Lane in the Sprint Cup Series and late model racing, short tracks, ARCA – all kinds of series – but to do it here at Talladega in 2013, like I said, it’s a true David vs. Goliath story. I couldn’t be more proud to play my own role.&#8221;</p>
<p>Ragan restarted 10th and Gilliland 11th for the final two-lap sprint. As the cars raced into Turn 1, they were barely visible from the frontstretch grandstand, but the teammates managed to find each other on the track. For the first time in NASCAR’s new Gen-6 car, Gilliland pushed another car through the corners&#8211;to the amazement of Edwards, whose jaw dropped in the post-race news conference as Gilliland described the final two laps.</p>
<p>&#8220;We got restarted there, and it was sprinkling, and it was dark and there was (speedy-dry) on the track so it got on the windshield where it was wet but I could see, and I could see David there and he came down,&#8221; Gilliland said. &#8220;Michael Waltrip was behind me, giving me a good run and just carried a lot of momentum up through there and got hooked up with David and figured he&#8217;s got the best chance of anybody sticking together with him out there and just worked our way up there.</p>
<p>&#8220;It got real tight getting into (Turn) 3 and 4 with Carl there. I know David was sideways and out of the gas, and Carl was right up on his door, and could have gone a number of ways. But, thankfully I just stayed on his bumper. I pushed him all the way through the corners. It&#8217;s the first time I&#8217;ve ever done that with this car, with these style of cars, because with these type of cars in practice I&#8217;ve pushed people down the back straight and it actually kind of gets underneath that little lip underneath the back bumper cover and I&#8217;ve always been kind of scared getting into the corner. As the front car compresses, the back part of the nose doesn&#8217;t have anywhere to go because the splitter is already on the racetrack.</p>
<p>&#8220;But I just pushed him all the way around there and Carl about stalled out a little bit, and we were just able to carry some good momentum and come home one-two.&#8221;</p>
<p>On Lap 183, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tried a four-wide move to the outside, but contact with J.J. Yeley&#8217;s car triggered a multicar melee that wiped out Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman, Danica Patrick and Clint Bowyer, among others.</p>
<p>That set up the two-lap dash in overtime with Matt Kenseth in the lead and Edwards beside him on the front row. Kenseth, who led 142 laps dropped to eighth at the finish.</p>
<p>Michael McDowell blew a tire and hit the wall on Lap 174 to cause the fourth caution of the race and bunch a field that had become segmented during a series of green-flag pit stops that ended on Lap 168. When NASCAR threw the yellow, Johnson led a six-car breakaway that included Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Edwards, Bowyer and Waltrip.</p>
<p>The caution, however, brought 19 other lead-lap cars back into play and the massive wreck at the end of the backstretch changed the game completely.</p>
<p>NASCAR slowed the race on Lap 122 and stopped it after Lap 125 when showers that had been forecast for race day arrived shortly after 3 p.m. ET. Edwards had nosed ahead of Stenhouse moments earlier and was ahead at the last scoring loop the cars crossed before the yellow.</p>
<p>That left the Fords of Edwards, Stenhouse, Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski at the front of the field when NASCAR red-flagged the race, forcing drivers and fans to wait and see whether the event would resume.</p>
<p>After a stoppage of 3 hours, 36 minutes, the race restarted after pit stops, and Kenseth quickly surged to the front.</p>
<p>As the cars approached Turn 1 on lap 43, a tap from Kyle Busch&#8217;s No. 18 Toyota turned Kasey Kahne&#8217;s No. 5 Chevrolet into the outside wall and triggered a wreck that damaged 16 cars, among them the Chevys of Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick, the Toyota of Brian Vickers (after a driver change with Denny Hamlin) and the Ford of Greg Biffle.</p>
<p>&#8220;I know I got in the back of the 5 (Kahne), and I guess I was trying to go to the outside of him,&#8221; Busch said. &#8216;But he just moved up in front of me, and I wasn&#8217;t expecting it, and I tried to go to the outside of him, and before I could get to the outside of him I got in the back of him.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just hate that I caused a hell of a melee for everybody. I hate that. A lot of cars got torn up, and it&#8217;s way too early in the race to be doing any of those sorts of moves, whether he made it or I made it. Just I hate it that we all got crashed in that deal.&#8221;</p>
<p>Both Kahne and Busch visited the infield care center after the wreck, and both were released in short order.</p>
<p>&#8220;I just kind of got shot through the center (of the field) there, just a lot of momentum coming from behind,&#8221; Kahne said of the action immediately before the crash. &#8220;Felt the No. 18 pushing me, and next thing I know, I was spinning.</p>
<p>&#8220;You just can&#8217;t push with these cars. We learned that at Daytona. He was pushing me and spun me in the wall, and then (it) happened again, so that is what it is.&#8221;</p>
<p>Kahne said he and Busch didn&#8217;t speak in the care center.</p>
<p>&#8220;No, I didn&#8217;t talk to him,&#8221; Kahne said. &#8220;I think we both probably understand what happened, and we&#8217;ll figure it out from there.&#8221;</p>
<p>Notes: Johnson’s margin in the Cup standings over second-place Edwards shrank by two points to 41. Dale Earnhardt Jr. (17th Sunday) is third, 59 points behind his Hendrick Motorsports teammate… Paul Menard finished 26th with a sour engine but gained two spots to eighth in the standings because other drivers in Chase-eligible positions had bigger issues… Ragan and Gilliland won a combined $608,261 for their 1-2 finish, a welcome payday for a team run by owner Bob Jenkins predominantly out of his own pocket.</p>
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		<title>Hamlin Has Been Cleared To Race At Talladega</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/04/hamlin-has-been-cleared-to-race-at-talladega/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/05/04/hamlin-has-been-cleared-to-race-at-talladega/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 04 May 2013 14:07:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian Vickers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denny Hamlin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9391</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Denny Hamlin has received medical clearance to race in the Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He plans to climb out of the cat at the first caution.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/hamlin2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9392" alt="Denny Hamlin climbs in to the No. 11 JGR Toyota at Talladega" src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/hamlin2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin, who has missed the last four Sprint Cup Series races as he recovers from a fractured vertebra, has been cleared to race in the Aaron&#8217;s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.</p>
<p>Hamlin, who practiced for 16 laps at Talladega, said afterwards that he was happy to be back in the car, and he thanked Brian Vickers and Mark Martin who filled in for him.</p>
<p>Hamlin said he didn&#8217;t experience discomfort once he was in the car, but it did hurt getting into and out of the car through the window. So, he will be entering and exiting the car through the roof.</p>
<p>The plan seems to be for Hamlin to start the race, and climb out of the car at the first caution. He said that he will keep himself out of harms way to ensure that he makes it to the first caution without causing one himself.</p>
<p>Hamlin and his team have practiced the driver swap with Brian Vickers several times. He says that they have it down to about a minute, which should be enough to keep them on the lead lap.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<h3>Related Stories</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/25/hamlin-will-not-race-at-richmond/">Hamlin Will Not Race At Richmond</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/29/martin-to-fill-in-for-hamlin-in-jgrs-no-11/">Martin, Vickers To Fill In For Hamlin In JGR’s No. 11</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/27/hamlin-may-miss-up-to-six-weeks/">Hamlin May Miss Up To Six Weeks</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/27/busch-wins-at-fontana-as-hamlin-logano-wreck/">Busch Wins At Fontana As Hamlin, Logano Wreck</a></li>
</ul>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<title>TRD Recalls Three Engines For MWR&#8217;s No. 15</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/30/trd-recalls-three-engines-for-mwrs-no-15/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/30/trd-recalls-three-engines-for-mwrs-no-15/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:56:33 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clint Bowyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Waltrip Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9381</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Toyota Racing Development has recalled three engines belonging to Michael Waltrip Racing's No. 15 Toyota and drive Clint Bowyer, following a parts review.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bowyer2012a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-7896" alt="Clint Bowyer during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2012 in Fort Worth, Texas." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/bowyer2012a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>Following the penalty<a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/no-20-team-penalized-for-kansas-infraction/"> issued to Joe Gibbs Racing&#8217;s No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team</a> and driver Matt Kenseth, Toyota Racing Development held a parts review. As a result, three engines belonging to Michael Waltrip Racing&#8217;s No. 15 Sprint Cup team and driver Clint Bowyer as a precautionary tool.</p>
<p>One of the engines was going to be his primary engine in the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway. The other two were his primary and backup engines for the Aaron&#8217;s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway.</p>
<p>David Wilson, of TRD, said:</p>
<blockquote><p>We took every connecting rod in our inventory and removed anything that was too close for comfort.</p></blockquote>
<p>The review revealed that one connecting rod in each of the three recalled engines was too close to NASCAR thresholds for comfort.</p>
<p>According to reports, the connecting rod in <a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/">Kenseth&#8217;s race-winning Toyota</a> was outside of the tolerances the manufacturer allows on weight before it was shipped. TRD employees missed it, despite the fact that the connecting rod came with paperwork that clearly stated its weight.</p>
<h3>Related Story</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/no-20-team-penalized-for-kansas-infraction/">No. 20 Team Penalized For Kansas Infraction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/">Kenseth’s Racing-Winning Car Fails Inspection</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Harvick Wins Thrilling Richmond Race In Overtime</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/30/harvick-wins-thrilling-richmond-race-in-overtime/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/30/harvick-wins-thrilling-richmond-race-in-overtime/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2013 03:34:45 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>NASCAR Wire Service</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Clint Bowyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeff Burton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joey Logano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Juan Pablo Montoya]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Harvick]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9374</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Kevin Harvick sped away on fresh tires to win the Toyota Owners 400 in a green-white-checkered-flag finish at Richmond International Raceway, leaving a group of drivers with widely divergent emotions in his wake.]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/khrichmond2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9375" alt="Kevin Harvick, driver of the #29 Bell Helicopter Chevrolet, crosses the finish line to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway on April 27, 2013 in Richmond, Virginia." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/khrichmond2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>Kevin Harvick sped away on fresh tires to win Sunday night’s Toyota Owners 400 in a green-white-checkered-flag finish at Richmond International Raceway, leaving a group of drivers with widely divergent emotions in his wake.</p>
<p>Harvick beat Clint Bowyer to the finish line by .343 seconds to win his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race of the season, his second at Richmond and the 20th of his career.</p>
<p>Joey Logano ran third, Juan Pablo Montoya came home fourth after leading until the final caution, and Jeff Burton finished fifth after staying out on old tires for the final two-lap run that took the event six laps beyond its posted distance.</p>
<p>Harvick came to pit road for tires on Lap 396, after Brian Vickers’ slapped the Turn 3 wall to cause the 11th caution of the race. Harvick’s No. 29 Richard Childress racing Chevrolet made short work of three drivers who had stayed out after the race restarted on lap 405.</p>
<p>Though he lost the chance to break a 94-race drought since his Cup victory at Watkins Glen in August 2010, Montoya was elated just to get a top-five finish after struggling mightily for more than a year.</p>
<p>Not so elated were Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, who repeatedly swapped shots with their Chevys on the cool-down lap. Stewart was fifth on the final restart but dropped to 18th at the finish after Busch rubbed him out of the racing groove during a two-lap free-for-all that saw prolific contact throughout the field.</p>
<p>Harvick, however was all smiles when he climbed out of his car in Victory Lane.</p>
<p>&#8220;My car launched, and I was able to drive it in the first corner and hope for the best down there,&#8221; said Harvick, who surged into the lead through Turns 3 and 4 after establishing his position in the first corner on the final restart. &#8220;I figured four, eight, 12&#8230;how many ever tires that were on the outside of me would be better than none. It all worked out, and here we are.&#8221;</p>
<p>The decision to come to pit road for tires under the final caution was a no-brainer, as Harvick and crew chief Gil Martin saw it.</p>
<p>&#8220;When the tires fall off almost two seconds, you&#8217;ve got to come in and get tires,&#8221; he said. &#8220;There&#8217;s not very many guys that stayed out. It all worked out tonight. We&#8217;ve been on the other side of it this year, so to be in Victory Lane is great.&#8221;</p>
<p>Bowyer led 113 laps but didn’t have a car that could stay with Harvick at the end.</p>
<p>&#8220;We had a good car—we just didn’t have a great car,&#8221; Bowyer said. &#8220;It seemed like we were just too tight on the throttle. It would quite turn and come up off (the corner). It really got wild there at the end. I was just lucky enough to be on the bottom (for the final restart).</p>
<p>&#8220;They started making holes up there in front of me, and the seas parted, and I just followed suit behind Harvick. It was a good run.&#8221;</p>
<p>What remained a two-man battle for more than half the race evolved into an unpredictable nexus of varying strategy and unexpected attrition.</p>
<p>When Kyle Busch passed Matt Kenseth for the top spot on Lap 254, that was the first time all evening that a driver other than Kenseth or Bowyer had led a lap. Busch made it stick, leading 39 straight laps under green until Travis Kvapil smacked the wall on Lap 292 to cause the sixth caution of the night.</p>
<p>But brother Kurt Busch won the race off pit road under the yellow and led the field to a restart on Lap 299. Busch held the point during an intense battle against Carl Edwards until NASCAR called the seventh caution on Lap 308 when Kvapil’s car dropped fluid on the track.</p>
<p>Kurt Busch, Carl Edwards, Kenseth and Ryan Newman stayed out under the yellow on 16-lap-old tires. Jimmie Johnson paced the rest of the lead-lap cars to pit road and took two tires. Six laps after a restart on Lap 321, the entire tenor of the race changed dramatically.</p>
<p>After contact with Martin Truex Jr.’s Toyota on the restart, Johnson faded on the restart. Running to the inside of Johnson on entering Turn 1 on Lap 327, Tony Stewart slid sideways into Johnson’s Chevrolet. As Johnson slid to the inside of the track in Turn 2, Kyle Busch’s Toyota nosed into him.</p>
<p>That was just the start of frenetic action at the .75-mile high-speed short track. Montoya led a pack of six cars who stayed out under the caution to a restart on Lap 334, but on Lap 338, a brutal wreck off Turn 2 involving Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers slowed the field again.</p>
<p>One lap after a restart on Lap 344, Truex spun in Turn 3 while battling Kurt Busch in close quarters for the second position. Montoya retained the lead until Brian Vickers’ wreck on Lap 395 set up the overtime.</p>
<p>Notes: Despite Johnson’s troubles, the five-time champion gained ground on his closest pursuers in the standings with a 12th-place finish at RIR. He now leads second-place Carl Edwards (sixth Saturday) by 43 points and Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (10th at Richmond) by 46… Reigning Cup champion Brad Keselowski finished 33rd on the bottom end of a roller-coaster day that saw him recover from a scrape with the turn 2 wall only to drop a cylinder in the late going.</p>
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		<title>Hamlin Will Not Race At Richmond</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/25/hamlin-will-not-race-at-richmond/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/25/hamlin-will-not-race-at-richmond/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:26:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brian Vickers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Denny Hamlin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joey Logano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Martin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9359</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Denny Hamlin, who has missed the last three Sprint Cup Series races with a fractured L1 vertebra, tweeted that he wouldn&#8217;t race in the Toyota Owner&#8217;s 400 at Richmond International Raceway: Unfortunately I won&#8217;t be racing this weekend at Richmond. It kills me to not be in the car for my team and&#8230; twitpl.us/t/9JT — [...]]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Denny Hamlin, who has missed the last three Sprint Cup Series races with a fractured L1 vertebra, tweeted that he wouldn&#8217;t race in the Toyota Owner&#8217;s 400 at Richmond International Raceway:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Unfortunately I won&#8217;t be racing this weekend at Richmond. It kills me to not be in the car for my team and&#8230; <a title="http://twitpl.us/t/9JT" href="http://t.co/ASZTSvhddC">twitpl.us/t/9JT</a></p>
<p>— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) <a href="https://twitter.com/dennyhamlin/status/327187143929769985">April 24, 2013</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>Hamlin had hoped to be back in the car at Richmond.</p>
<p>Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano got together while racing for the win in the Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway. Hamlin&#8217;s car made hard contact with the inside wall.</p>
<p>Tests revelealed a fractured L1 vertebra that could sideline Hamlin for up to six weeks. Mark Martin and Brian Vickers have filled in for Hamlin in Joe Gibbs Racing&#8217;s No. 11 Toyota.</p>
<h3>Related Stories</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/29/martin-to-fill-in-for-hamlin-in-jgrs-no-11/">Martin, Vickers To Fill In For Hamlin In JGR’s No. 11</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/27/hamlin-may-miss-up-to-six-weeks/">Hamlin May Miss Up To Six Weeks</a></li>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/03/27/busch-wins-at-fontana-as-hamlin-logano-wreck/">Busch Wins At Fontana As Hamlin, Logano Wreck</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>No. 20 Team Penalized For Kansas Infraction</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/no-20-team-penalized-for-kansas-infraction/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/no-20-team-penalized-for-kansas-infraction/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:27:44 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Ratcliff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toyota Racing Development]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://lead-lap.com/?p=9356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[NASCAR penalized Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team, after Matt Kenseth's race-winning Camry failed post-race inspection due to a connecting rod in the engine. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kenseth2013a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9357" alt="Matt Kenseth talks to a crew man of the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing team." src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/kenseth2013a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>NASCAR announced penalties handed down to Joe Gibbs Racing&#8217;s No. 20 Sprint Cup Series team, after Matt Kenseth&#8217;s race-winning Camry <a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/">failed post-race inspection</a> due to a connecting rod in the engine.</p>
<p>NASCAR found the No. 20 violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing); 12-4J (any determination by NASCAR officials that the race equipment used in the event does not conform to NASCAR rules); and 20-5.5.3 (E) (Only magnetic steel connecting rods with a minimum weight of 525.0 grams will be permitted; connecting rod failed to meet the minimum connecting rod weight) of the 2013 NASCAR rule book.</p>
<p>As a result, crew chief Jason Ratcliff has been fined $200,000 and suspended for the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events, including the Sprint All-Star Race. He has also been placed on probation until Dec. 31.</p>
<p>Car owner Joe Gibbs has been penalized with the loss of 50 championship car owner points; the first-place finish from the Kansas will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate car owner points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a car owner Wild Card position. Gibbs&#8217; license for the No. 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car suspended for the next six championship points events, which means the car will not receive owner points during that period.</p>
<p>Driver Matt Kenseth was also penalized with the loss of 50 championship driver points; the Coors Light Pole award from Kansas will not be allowed for eligibility into the 2014 Sprint Unlimited; the first place finish from Kansas will not earn bonus points toward the accumulated aggregate driver points total after the completion of the first 26 events of the current season and will not be credited towards the eligibility for a driver Wild Card position.</p>
<p>NASCAR has also penalized the manufacturer with the loss of five manufacturer championship points.</p>
<p>Following the penalty, JGR issued a statement:</p>
<blockquote><p>Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is aware of the penalty issued by NASCAR today regarding the engine in our No. 20 car used in last week&#8217;s Sprint Cup Series race in Kansas. It is our understanding that one of the eight connecting rods on the engine was ruled too light. We are working with our partners at TRD on this issue. In the meantime we will plan to appeal the penalty.</p></blockquote>
<p>Toyota Racing Development issued a statement:</p>
<blockquote><p>During NASCAR&#8217;s routine post-race tear down of Matt Kenseth&#8217;s race-winning car and engine from Kansas Speedway, one of our engine connecting rods weighed in approximately three grams under the legal minimum weight of 525 grams. None of the other seven connecting rods were found to be under the minimum weight. We take full responsibility for this issue with the engine used by the #20 Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team this past Sunday in Kansas &#8212; JGR is not involved in the process of selecting parts or assembling the Cup Series engines. It was a simple oversight on TRD&#8217;s part and there was no intent to deceive, or to gain any type of competitive advantage. &#8230; The goal of TRD has always been &#8212; and will continue to be &#8212; to build high-performance engines that are reliable, durable and powerful, and within the guidelines established by NASCAR.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Matt Kenseth spoke with the media regarding the penalty. He said:</p>
<blockquote><p>I think the penalties are grossly unfair. I think it&#8217;s borderline shameful. There&#8217;s no argument the part was wrong. They weighed it and it was wrong. However, there is an argument that there certainly was no performance advantage. If you can find any unbiased, reputable, knowledgeable engine-builder and if they saw the facts, what all the rods weighed. The average weight of all the rods was well above the minimum &#8212; 2.5 (grams) above the minimum at least. There was one in there that was way heavy. There was no performance advantage, there was no intent, it was a mistake. JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) had no control over it.</p></blockquote>
<p><strong>Update 2: </strong>Joe Gibbs Racing appealed the penalties. After hearing testimony, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel amended the original penalties assessed by NASCAR. Crew chief Jason Ratcliff&#8217;s suspension was reduced to one Sprint Cup Series championship event. He will be on probation for the next three championship events following his reinstatement.</p>
<p>Joe Gibbs and Matt Kenseth had their points penalties reduced to 12 from 50. All other components of their penalties were rescinded.</p>
<p>Toyota had their manufacturer&#8217;s points penalty increased from the loss of five points to the loss of seven.</p>
<h3>Related Story</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/">Kenseth’s Racing-Winning Car Fails Inspection</a></li>
</ul>
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		<title>Kenseth&#8217;s Racing-Winning Car Fails Inspection</title>
		<link>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/</link>
		<comments>http://lead-lap.com/2013/04/24/kenseths-racing-winning-car-fails-inspection/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 24 Apr 2013 20:18:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael J Smith</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sprint Cup]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jason Ratcliff]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joe Gibbs Racing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NASCAR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Toyota Racing Development]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Matt Kenseth's race-winning Toyota failed post-race inspection after the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway, and it failed inspection at NASCAR's R&#038;D center. ]]></description>
				<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/jgr20a.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-9354" alt="Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 20 Toyota Camry" src="http://lead-lap.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/jgr20a.jpg" width="350" height="223" /></a>Matt Kenseth&#8217;s race-winning Toyota Camry failed post-race inspection after the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway. The car was taken to NASCAR&#8217;s Research and Development Center for further inspection. The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota failed that inspection.</p>
<p>The engine of the No. 20 contained a connecting rod that did not meet NASCAR&#8217;s weight minimum. Toyota Racing Development provides engines for JGR.</p>
<p>It is standard procedure to take the race-winning engine to the R&amp;D center for a thorough inspection.</p>
<p>NASCAR is currently mulling penalties for the No. 20 team.</p>
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