Kyle Busch Makes History With Stater Bros. 300 Win

Hours after winning a Camping World Truck Series race in a runaway, Kyle Busch staged a repeat performance in Saturday night's Stater Bros. 300 Nationwide Series event at Auto Club Speedway.

"It's awesome," Busch said after climbing out of his No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. "This is just a blast. It's pretty special to beat guys like Carl [Edwards] and Kevin [Harvick]. To win here twice in one day is even more special."

In claiming the 22nd Nationwide Series victory of his career, Busch became the first driver ever to win two races in any of NASCAR's top three series on the same day. Busch had come close once before, finishing second to Jamie McMurray by .005 seconds in a July 2007 Cup race at Daytona after winning a rain-delayed Nationwide race earlier in the day.

On Sunday, he'll try for another record -- a weekend sweep of NASCAR's top three series at the same race track.

About the only suspense came on a restart on Lap 135, after Edwards beat Busch off pit road following the final stops for both cars. Busch dived to the inside of Edwards' Ford, and Harvick made it three-wide through the corner before Busch regained the lead through Turns 3 and 4.

From that point, Busch pulled away and crossed the finish line 1.011 seconds ahead of Harvick and almost the same margin he had in beating Todd Bodine in the Truck race.

Joey Logano, Busch's teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing, finished third, followed by pole-sitter Edwards and his Roush Fenway Racing teammate, David Ragan.

Jeff Burton, David Reutimann, Brian Vickers, series rookie Brendan Gaughan and Steve Wallace completed the top 10.

"It was a blast," Busch said. "We were just glad to put on a great show. It got a little nerve-wracking there on that last restart but that's what the fans come to see."

Harvick tried to seize the opportunity but couldn't force his way past Busch and Edwards.

"I was able to sneak by Kyle and Carl when they got together there [on the restart] -- at least that's what it looked like from my perspective. I just couldn't quite complete the pass there."

Busch, who led 143 of the 150 laps, obliterated the field during the first green-flag run, streaking to an advantage of more than 8 seconds before pitting from the lead on Lap 40. After the cycle of green-flag stops, Busch led Harvick by as much as 11.486 seconds before Michael McDowell's fiery crash in Turn 2 caused the first caution of the race on Lap 52.

By then, 14 of the 43 cars that had started the race were on the lead lap.

"Definitely, the best car won -- that's for sure," said Edwards, who fell back after battling Busch and Harvick on the final restart. "That was amazing. Kyle was just in a league of his own [Saturday night], so it was tough to be able to hang with him for most of the night."

The victory came in the first race back for crew chief Jason Ratcliff, suspended along with fellow crew chief Dave Rogers for the final 10 races of last season and Daytona after the Gibbs team was caught trying to manipulate the results of an engine dynomometer test at Michigan.

"I've been dreaming about this," Ratcliff said. "It's a heck of a way to come back."

 

2009 Stater Bros. 300 Final Results

Results Saturday from the Stater Bros. 300 race for NASCAR's Nationwide Series at Auto Club Speedway, listing starting position in parentheses, driver, car, reason out if not running at the finish, laps completed, driver rating, points and money won:

1. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 150 laps, 150 rating, 195 pts, $76,820.

2. (9) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 150, 117.4, 170, $60,525.

3. (7) Joey Logano, Toyota, 150, 107, 165, $56,893.

4. (1) Carl Edwards, Ford, 150, 120.9, 165, $44,150.

5. (8) David Ragan, Ford, 150, 106.6, 155, $34,375.

6. (6) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 150, 115.8, 150, $31,325.

7. (29) David Reutimann, Toyota, 150, 96.1, 146, $28,275.

8. (12) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 150, 105, 142, $26,825.

9. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 150, 90.7, 138, $35,903.

10. (15) Steve Wallace, Chevrolet, 150, 87.6, 134, $35,493.

11. (18) Jason Leffler, Toyota, 150, 86.9, 130, $32,393.

12. (23) Scott Lagasse Jr., Toyota, 150, 83.7, 127, $32,143.

13. (4) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 150, 95.1, 124, $32,943.

14. (17) Justin Allgaier, Dodge, 150, 88.4, 121, $31,808.

15. (10) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 150, 80.7, 118, $26,055.

16. (42) Michael Annett, Toyota, 149, 65.8, 115, $31,563.

17. (19) Jason Keller, Ford, 149, 74.5, 112, $31,353.

18. (36) David Green, Toyota, 149, 67.1, 109, $31,518.

19. (27) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, 149, 68.9, 106, $31,108.

20. (24) Ken Butler, Chevrolet, 149, 68.4, 103, $31,498.

21. (30) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, 149, 61.6, 100, $31,238.

22. (14) John Wes Townley, Ford, 148, 64, 97, $30,753.

23. (20) Brandon Whitt, Ford, 147, 65.3, 94, $31,068.

24. (25) D.J. Kennington, Dodge, 147, 53.7, 91, $30,508.

25. (26) Kertus Davis, Chevrolet, 146, 49, 88, $24,055.

26. (32) Kenny Hendrick, Dodge, 146, 45.1, 85, $30,263.

27. (13) Brad Keselowski, Chevrolet, 145, 78.8, 87, $30,128.

28. (43) Stanton Barrett, Chevrolet, 145, 38.4, 79, $23,540.

29. (31) Brian Keselowski, Dodge, 145, 44.8, 76, $23,390.

30. (38) Eric McClure, Ford, 145, 37, 73, $30,048.

31. (37) Kenny Wallace, Chevrolet, 143, 48.4, 70, $29,638.

32. (40) Scott Gaylord, Chevrolet, 143, 37.6, 67, $29,528.

33. (33) Danny O'Quinn Jr., Chevrolet, 134, 42.7, 64, $22,950.

34. (5) Greg Biffle, Ford, accident, 127, 90.7, 61, $23,190.

35. (28) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, rear end, 61, 55.5, 58, $22,730.

36. (3) Michael McDowell, Toyota, accident, 50, 63.1, 55, $29,838.

37. (16) Terry Cook, Chevrolet, ignition, 15, 41.7, 52, $28,973.

38. (35) J.C. Stout, Chevrolet, overheating, 13, 36.7, 49, $22,395.

39. (39) Johnny Chapman, Chevrolet, ignition, 10, 34.5, 46, $28,808.

40. (22) Casey Atwood, Chevrolet, rear end, 5, 34.6, 43, $22,305.

41. (41) Justin Ashburn, Chevrolet, ignition, 5, 28.9, 40, $28,713.

42. (21) Dennis Setzer, Dodge, vibration, 3, 32.4, 37, $22,165.

43. (34) Derrike Cope, Chevrolet, vibration, 3, 30.8, 34, $22,127.

***

Race statistics

Average Speed of Race Winner: 137.178 mph.

Time of Race: 2 hours, 11 minutes, 13 seconds.

Margin of Victory: 1.11 seconds.

Caution Flags: 4 for 23 laps.

Lead Changes: 6 among 3 drivers.

Lap Leaders: K.Busch 1-39; C.Edwards 40; Bra.Keselowski 41-42; K.Busch 43-130; C.Edwards 131-134; K.Busch 135-150.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Led, Laps Led): K.Busch, 3 times for 143 laps; C.Edwards, 2 times for 5 laps; Bra.Keselowski, 1 time for 2 laps.

Top 10 in Points: 1. K.Busch, 360; 2. C.Edwards, 340; 3. K.Harvick, 305; 4. D.Ragan, 297; 5. B.Vickers, 297; 6. D.Reutimann, 273; 7. J.Logano, 268; 8. B.Gaughan, 256; 9. J.Keller, 255; 10. G.Biffle, 221.

Gordon, Busch Win Duels – Daytona 500 Field Set

Gatorade Duel No. 1

Jeff Gordon returned to victory lane for the first time in more than a year, winning Thursday’s first Gatorade Duel qualifying race at Daytona International Speedway.

 Jeff Gordon Celebrates In Victory Lane After His Gatorade Duel Victory

Driving the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet, Gordon held off Tony Stewart and rookie Joey Logano in the closing laps. Because of Thursday’s victory, Gordon will start Sunday’s Daytona 500 on the inside of the second row as he tries to break his 41-race losing streak.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to visit victory lane quite a few times, but not many times as a father,” said Gordon, who was greeted by his daughter Ella after the race, which does not count in the Sprint Cup standings. “There’s nothing more special than that.

“This team has been unbelievable. We all know what we went through last year by not winning. There’s a lot of expectations on this team, but they never wavered. The guys just kept working hard, building great race cars. I hope there’s a lot of this in store for us in 2009.”

Stewart finished second in his No. 14 Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet and earned the first transfer spot into the 500. The second spot went to Scott Riggs’ new Tommy Baldwin Racing team, as Riggs moved from 11th to eighth in the final five laps.
Since Stewart raced his way into the Daytona 500, Regan Smith moved up the qualifying order and is guaranteed a starting spot Sunday. Smith is entered in Thursday’s second Gatorade Duel.
Logano surged into the top five late in the race and ended up third in the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Hendrick’s Jimmie Johnson was fourth, with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Aric Almirola fifth.

Sixth through 10th were Penske Racing’s Kurt Busch, Richard Petty Motorsports’ Kasey Kahne, Riggs, Yates Racing’s Paul Menard and Roush Fenway Racing’s Jamie McMurray.
Bill Elliott ran well early in the race, but under the second caution, the transmission on Elliott’s Wood Brothers Racing Ford locked up, sending Elliott into the wall.
Elliott still transfers into Sunday’s Daytona 500 via his qualifying speed, as he was the fastest of the drivers not locked into the race.

Daytona 500 polesitter Martin Truex Jr. brought out the third caution when he spun on lap 49. Truex’s No. 1 Earnhardt Ganassi Chevrolet slid up the track in Turn 2 and then was clipped by David Ragan’s Ford.

Kyle Roland,  a crewman for Mayfield Motorsports, was struck on pit road while he helped service Kirk Shelmerdine’s No. 27 Toyota. Roland was serving as jackman for Shelmerdine when he was hit by Shelmerdine’s car on a pit stop. Roland was taken to a local hospital for possible treatment, a NASCAR spokesman said.

Gatorade Duel No. 1 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Car Make
1	5	24	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
2	6	14	Tony Stewart	Chevrolet
3	3	48	Jimmie Johnson	Chevrolet
4	10	20	Joey Logano	Toyota
5	4	8	Aric Almirola	Chevrolet
6	22	2	Kurt Busch	Dodge
7	19	9	Kasey Kahne	Dodge
8	15	36	Scott Riggs	Toyota
9	7	98	Paul Menard	Ford
10	12	26	Jamie McMurray	Ford
11	9	187	Joe Nemechek	Toyota
12	18	09	Brad Keselowski	Chevrolet
13	14	47	Marcos Ambrose	Toyota
14	21	07	Casey Mears	Chevrolet
15	16	55	Michael Waltrip	Toyota
16	23	77	Sam Hornish Jr	Dodge
17	28	146	Carl Long	Dodge
18	25	37	Tony Raines	Dodge
19	26	66	Terry Labonte	Toyota
20	24	127	Kirk Shelmerdine	Toyota
21	1	1	Martin Truex Jr	Chevrolet
22	20	7	Robby Gordon	Toyota
23	13	6	David Ragan	Ford
24	8	16	Greg Biffle	Ford
25	17	34	John Andretti	Chevrolet
26	11	17	Matt Kenseth	Ford
27	2	21	Bill Elliott	Ford
28	27	123	Mike Skinner	Chevrolet

 

Gatorade Duel No. 2

Kyle Busch seemed to shake off his 2008 Chase For The Sprint Cup blues by holding off Mark Martin and Brian Vickers to win the second Gatorade Duel qualifying race Thursday at Daytona International Speedway.

Kyle Busch Celebrates After Winning The Second Gatorade Duel

Mayfield Motorsports’ Jeremy Mayfield and Richard Petty Motorsports’ AJ Allmendinger finished ninth and 10th, respectively, to earn starting spots in Sunday’s Daytona 500.
“An emotional day,” Mayfield said. “It’s probably better than any win I’ve ever had. I’ve had so much support from everybody. It’s just unbelievable.”

While Mayfield used a late two-tire pit stop to gain track position, Allmendinger raced his No. 44 Dodge into the final transfer spot with help from teammates Elliott Sadler and Reed Sorenson.
“Everybody’s known over the last two months what’s happened,” Allmendinger said. “I’ve got to thank the 44 guys. They worked way long hours to get these cars ready. And I’ve especially got to thank my teammates, Elliott and Reed. They kind of had to ruin their races to come back and save me.”

The final three drivers to make the 500 reached it through qualifying speed: Bill Elliott (Wood Brothers Racing), Travis Kvapil (Yates Racing) and Regan Smith (Furniture Row Racing).
Busch won eight of the first 26 races last year but struggled in the 10-race Chase, finishing 10th in the final Cup standings.
Busch surged to the front late in the race, getting drafting help from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to get around Hendrick Motorsports' Martin for the lead with three laps to go.
“I knew the first opportunity that we had to make the move that we ought to just take it and go for it and try to hold them off from there,” Busch said. “It turned out to be all right; it was the winning move.”

On the last lap, Martin and Vickers (Red Bull Racing) slipped under Hamlin and moved in on Busch. Vickers gave Martin a hard bump-draft into Turn 3, sending Martin to the outside of Busch.
Busch moved up the track to block Martin, and then Vickers darted under Martin as the two raced for second to the checkered flag.

Martin slipped around Vickers for second, with Vickers holding on for third. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing’s Juan Pablo Montoya finished fourth, with Hamlin finishing fifth

.
Sixth through 10th were Hall of Fame Racing’s Bobby Labonte, Hendrick’s Dale Earnhardt Jr., Roush Fenway Racing’s Carl Edwards, Mayfield and Allmendinger.

Stewart-Haas Racing’s Ryan Newman didn’t have as good a race as his teammate/owner Tony Stewart did in the first Duel. Newman was forced to pit with a flat tire on lap 13, but a caution came out soon after, and Newman was able to stay on the lead lap.

Newman moved back in the top five late in the race but was hit from behind by Michael Waltrip Racing's David Reutimann on the backstretch and slammed the wall. After crawling out of his No. 39 Chevrolet, Newman walked on the track and lifted his arms in frustration at Reutimann.

Gatorade Duel No. 2 Results

Finish	Start	Car #	Driver	Make
1	8	18	Kyle Busch	Toyota
2	1	5	Mark Martin	Chevrolet
3	18	83	Brian Vickers	Toyota
4	3	42	Juan Pablo Montoya	Chevrolet
5	13	11	Denny Hamlin	Toyota
6	5	96	Bobby Labonte	Ford
7	6	88	Dale Earnhardt Jr	Chevrolet
8	14	99	Carl Edwards	Ford
9	21	41	Jeremy Mayfield	Toyota
10	19	44	A.J. Allmendinger	Dodge
11	12	33	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
12	20	12	David Stremme	Dodge
13	22	171	Mike Wallace	Chevrolet
14	17	31	Jeff Burton	Chevrolet
15	10	00	David Reutimann	Toyota
16	7	78	Regan Smith	Chevrolet
17	16	19	Elliott Sadler	Dodge
18	24	29	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
19	4	28	Travis Kvapil	Ford
20	26	51	Kelly Bires	Dodge
21	15	43	Reed Sorenson	Dodge
22	25	175	Derrike Cope	Dodge
23	28	157	Norm Benning	Chevrolet
24	2	39	Ryan Newman	Chevrolet
25	9	82	Scott Speed	Toyota
26	23	73	Mike Garvey	Dodge
27	27	64	Geoffrey Bodine	Toyota
28	11	08	Boris Said	Ford

2009 Daytona 500 Starting Lineup

Starting lineup for Sunday's Daytona 500 race for NASCAR's Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway after Thursday's qualifying races, with car number in parentheses, driver, car and qualifying speed in mph:

1. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 188.001.

2. (5) Mark Martin, Chevrolet, 187.817.

3. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 187.402.

4. (18) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 186.896.

5. (14) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 187.336.

6. (83) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 185.858.

7. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 187.727.

8. (42) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 187.743.

9. (20) Joey Logano, Toyota, 186.753.

10. (11) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 186.451.

11. (8) Aric Almirola, Chevrolet, 187.649.

12. (96) Bobby Labonte, Ford, 187.211.

13. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 185.38.

14. (88) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 187.079.

15. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 185.517.

16. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 186.389.

17. (36) Scott Riggs, Toyota, 185.893.

18. (41) Jeremy Mayfield, Toyota, 185.082.

19. (98) Paul Menard, Ford, 187.044.

20. (44) A.J. Allmendinger, Dodge, 185.77.

21. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 186.509.

22. (33) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 186.726.

23. (47) Marcos Ambrose, Toyota, 186.012.

24. (12) David Stremme, Dodge, 185.391.

25. (07) Casey Mears, Chevrolet, 185.426.

26. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 185.958.

27. (55) Michael Waltrip, Toyota, 185.805.

28. (00) David Reutimann, Toyota, 186.827.

29. (77) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 185.079.

30. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 186.066.

31. (7) Robby Gordon, Toyota, 185.51.

32. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 183.602.

33. (6) David Ragan, Ford, 186.374.

34. (43) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 186.07.

35. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 186.889.

36. (39) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 187.778.

37. (34) John Andretti, Chevrolet, 185.59.

38. (82) Scott Speed, Toyota, 186.842.

39. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 186.614.

40. (21) Bill Elliott, Ford, 187.739.

41. (28) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 187.574.

42. (78) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 186.924.

43. (66) Terry Labonte, Toyota, Past Champion.

Failed to qualify

44. (87) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 186.807.

45. (08) Boris Said, Ford, 186.78.

46. (09) Brad Keselowski, Chevrolet, 185.571.

47. (127) Kirk Shelmerdine, Toyota, 184.854.

48. (171) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 184.847.

49. (37) Tony Raines, Dodge, 184.106.

50. (73) Mike Garvey, Dodge, 184.004.

51. (75) Derrike Cope, Dodge, 182.02.

52. (23) Mike Skinner, Chevrolet, 181.928.

53. (51) Kelly Bires, Dodge, 181.701.

54. (46) Carl Long, Dodge, 181.032.

55. (64) Geoff Bodine, Toyota, 180.81.

56. (57) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 177.396.

2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Season Preview

 

In July 2007, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. needed a driver for his JR Motorsports No. 88 Chevrolet. His selection of a lanky, 23-year-old Michigan native with 20 career starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and a best finish of 25th raised eyebrows among many in the garage area.

But his choice of Brad Keselowski wasn’t just a sleeper pick. It was a decision that may well deliver a championship less that two years later.

Since his first race in the No. 88 at Chicagoland in 2007 (where he finished 14th) Keselowski has matured in his racing career at a phenomenal pace. Last year, his first full-time season in the series, he delivered on the promise Earnhardt saw with his first two wins, his first pole, 11 top fives and 20 top-10 finishes. Keselowski was also voted the series’ Most Popular Driver.

Brad Keselowski Will Pilot The No. 88 Navy Chevrolet Again In 2009

More importantly, Keselowski surged to second place in the championship standings by mid-summer. He held that spot for nine weeks before getting caught up in the incredible late-season surge of Carl Edwards, whose comeback effort against 2008 driver champion Clint Bowyer relegated Keselowski to third place in the final standings.

Although there won’t be a repeat driver champion in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year, there most certainly will be a repeat of the great late-season battle waged between Edwards and Bowyer.

And a seasoned Keselowski plans to be in that mix.

Bowyer won the 2008 championship over Edwards by 21 points, the fourth-closest margin in series history. Bowyer won’t be running enough races this season to defend his crown. But if Edwards, the 2007 champion, is able to muster even a fraction of the incredible comeback karma he surrounded himself with last year, he should be a favorite to become the seventh two-time champion in the series.

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Clint Bowyer

The NASCAR Nationwide Series has also recently become known for its spilt championships among drivers and owners. Over the last two seasons – and three times overall – there have been split titles. Edwards and his No. 60 Ford team (along with new crew chief Dan Stillman, as Drew Blickensderfer was promoted to Matt Kenseth’s Sprint Cup team) Keselowski and the No. 88 crew and other contenders will have their hands full in 2009 as that streak could very well run to three consecutive shared championships.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Toyota won the owner crown last year, upending the No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet from its 2007 championship perch. The No. 20 will be back to defend the title, with Joey Logano sharing time with Denny Hamlin and Brad Coleman. Logano will pull double-duty in 2009, although his full-time focus will be as a rookie in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

But the No. 20 car will have to do battle with the team’s second car, the No. 18 Toyota and driver Kyle Busch. The No. 20 won nine races last year, the No. 18 won 10. All Busch did was win 10 races in three different cars, leading the way with eight in the No. 18. He finished sixth in the series standings despite competing in only 30 races. His 10 victories tied the record set in 1983 by two-time series champion Sam Ard.

The No. 29 is back to contend, led once again by Jeff Burton, who is fourth in career series wins (27) and was the co-driver of the 2008 owner champion car. He’ll work with at least one teammate to challenge no fewer than six other full-time teams featuring multiple drivers that should make the 2009 owner championship as exciting as the driver title chase.

Normally, a driver of Edwards’ talent and results – a driver title and top-three championship finishes in each of his four seasons in the series – would instantly make him the man to beat, especially considering Bowyer’s move to a partial schedule. But the strength of the competitors in the series, from double-duty drivers like himself and Busch series-only regulars like Keselowski and a new group of young up-and-comers, doesn’t give Edwards much of an opportunity to rest.

On the contrary, the 2009 season may be the most competitive since 2003, when six drivers were within 89 points of first place going into the final race of the season at Homestead-Miami Speedway before Brian Vickers claimed the title by just 14 points over veteran David Green. And by the way, that also was the first season in series history that the driver and owner titles were shared.

In addition to Edwards, Keselowski and Busch, two other drivers who ranked in the final top 10 last year are back to make a run at the title. Mike Bliss, who finished fourth, and Jason Leffler who was ninth, will be factors again.

If such an award existed, Bliss would have been the leading candidate for series comeback driver of the year last season. He started the year with Fitz Motorsports and then moved to Phoenix Racing, where he continued to post solid results. He hasn’t won since registering his lone series win in 2004 but felt like he was close toward the end of last season.

Leffler is back for his third full season with Braun Racing in the No. 38 Toyota. He’s finished in the top 10 the last two years, but in 2008 was shut out in the win and/or pole column for the first time in three seasons. He ended last year on a high note, finishing fourth at Homestead-Miami Speedway, which tied his season-best result. Braun also will field a second team with former series champion Vickers teaming with Burney Lamar in the No. 32 Toyota.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Regular Jason Leffler

Jason Keller with Baker Curb Racing, Kenny Wallace with Jay Robinson Racing, Eric McClure and Bobby Hamilton, Jr. with Rensi Hamilton Racing, and two-time series champion Kevin Harvick with his own KHI team are other key returnees.

Steve Wallace has progressed from young gun to young series veteran, entering his third full year with Rusty Wallace Racing in the No. 66 Chevrolet. He finished a career-best 14th in the standings in 2008 and posted his first two career top-five finishes, which could prepare him for his first true top-10 assault. He’ll have a new teammate in Brendan Gaughan, who is making the jump after a six-year career in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to man the No. 62 Chevrolet. Gaughan will be a  leading candidate for Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors in 2009.

Erik Darnell also has made the climb up the NASCAR ladder. He spent the last three seasons in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, where he finished a career-best fourth last year with a win and two poles. He’ll get the majority of the rides this year in a timeshare with David Ragan in the No. 6 Roush Fenway Racing Ford. The 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year, Ragan used his double-duty time wisely over the past two seasons and should be a Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contender this year.

The series has long been known as a developmental opportunity, and full-time newcomers in 2009 include a pair of 22-year-olds, Justin Allgaier moves from a successful ARCA career to Penske Racing, while Michael Annett is ticketed for his first full-time opportunity with Germain Racing. John Wes Townley, another ARCA alum who turned 19 on New Year’s Eve, announced a full-time schedule with RAB Racing.

Iowa Speedway Will Debut On The NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule On August 1st

The series’ 35-race schedule includes its debut at the .875-mile Iowa Speedway on August 1st, one of nine stand-alone events this year. There are 20 combination weekends with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, six of those featuring each of the three national series and a repeat of the unique doubleheader with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at Auto Club Speedway on February 22nd.

 

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series  Top Ten Driver Point Standings

Driver	Points	Starts	Wins	Top 5	Top 10
1. Clint Bowyer	5,132	35	1	14	29
2. Carl Edwards	5,111	35	7	19	22
3. Brad Keselowski	4,794	35	2	11	20
4. David Ragan	4,525	35	0	7	21
5. Mike Bliss	4,518	35	0	3	15
6. Kyle Busch	4,461	30	10	18	20
7. David Reutimann	4,388	35	0	8	15
8. Mike Wallace	4,128	35	0	1	8
9. Jason Leffler	4,086	35	0	3	13
10. Marcos Ambrose	3,991	35	1	3	6

 

NASCAR Nationwide Series Points Champions (1999-2008)

Year	Driver	Points
1999	Dale Earnhardt Jr	4,647
2000	Jeff Green	5,005
2001	Kevin Harvick	4,813
2002	Greg Biffle	4,919
2003	Brian Vickers	4,637
2004	Martin Truex Jr	5,173
2005	Martin Truex Jr	4,937
2006	Kevin Harvick	5,648
2007	Carl Edwards	4,805
2008	Clint Bowyer	5,132

 

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver

Brad Keselowski

 

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Coors Light Pole Award

Carl Edwards

 

2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Raybestos Rookie of the Year

Landon Cassill

 

2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Schedule

Date	Event	Track	Time EST	TV	Previous Winner
2/14	Camping World 300	Daytona International Speedway	1:00 PM		Tony Stewart
2/21	Stater Bros. 300	Auto Club Speedway	7:00 PM		Tony Stewart
2/28	Sam’s Town 300	Las Vegas Motor Speedway	4:00 PM		Mark Martin
3/21	Scott Turf Builder 300	Bristol Motor Speedway	2:00 PM		Clint Bowyer
4/4	O’Reilly 300	Texas Motor Speedway	2:30 PM		Kyle Busch
4/11	Pepsi 300	Nashville Superspeedway	3:00 PM		Scott Wimmer
4/17	Bashas’ Super Markets  200	Phoenix International Raceway	9:00 PM		Kyle Busch
4/25	Aaron’s 312	Talladega Superspeedway	2:30 PM		Tony Stewart
5/1	Lipton Tea 250	Richmond International Raceway	7:00 PM		Denny Hamlin
5/8	Diamond Hill Plywood 200	Darlington Raceway	7:00 PM		Tony Stewart
5/23	CarQuest Auto Parts 300	Lowe’s Motor Speedway	7:00 PM		Kyle Busch
5/30	Heluva Good! 200	Dover International Speedway	2:00 PM		Denny Hamlin
6/6	Federated Auto Parts 300	Nashville Superspeedway	7:00 PM		Brad Keselowski
6/13	Meijer 300	Kentucky Speedway	8:00 PM		Joey Logano
6/20	Camping World RV Rental 250	The Milwaukee Mile	7:30 PM		Carl Edwards
6/27	Camping World 200	New Hampshire Motor Speedway	2:30 PM		Tony Stewart
7/3	Winn Dixie 250	Daytona International Speedway	7:30 PM		Denny Hamlin
7/10	Dollar General 300	Chicagoland Speedway	7:30 PM		Kyle Busch
7/18	MO-ILL Dodge Dealers 250	Gateway International Raceway	9:00 PM		Carl Edwards
7/25	Kroger 200	O’Reilly Raceway Park	7:30 PM		Kyle Busch
8/1	Iowa 250	Iowa Speedway	4:00 PM
8/8	Zippo 200 At The Glen	Watkins Glen International	2:30 PM		Marcos Ambrose
8/15	Michigan 250	Michigan International Speedway	3:00 PM		Carl Edwards
8/21	Food City 250	Bristol Motor Speedway	7:30 PM		Brad Keselowski
8/30	NAPA Auto Parts 200	Circuit Gilles Villeneuve	2:00 PM		Ron Fellows
9/5	Degree V12 300	Atlanta Motor Speedway	6:30 PM		Matt Kenseth
9/11	Richmond 250	Richmond International Raceway	7:00 PM		Carl Edwards
9/26	Dover 200	Dover International Speedway	3:00 PM		Kyle Busch
10/3	Kansas Lottery 300	Kansas Speedway	3:00 PM		Denny Hamlin
10/10	Camping World 300	Auto Club Speedway	4:00 PM		Kyle Busch
10/16	Dollar General 300	Lowe’s Motor Speedway	7:30 PM		Kyle Busch
10/24	Memphis 250	Memphis Motorsports Park	3:00 PM		Carl Edwards
11/7	O’Reilly Challenge	Texas Motor Speedway	Noon		Kyle Busch
11/14	Arizona 200	Phoenix International Raceway	4:00 PM		Carl Edwards
11/21	Ford 300	Homestead-Miami Speedway	4:00 PM		Carl Edwards

 

2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Daytona Broadcast Schedule

Practice

                            Wednesday, February 11, 2009

                      3:00 PM EST (No TV Coverage)

Practice

Thursday, February 12, 2009

9:30 AM EST

                    Qualifying

Friday, February 13, 2009

3:00 PM EST

                    Race

Saturday, February 14, 2009

1:00 PM EST

 

My Prediction For The 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion

As I have mentioned above, the 2009 NASXAR Nationwide Series season will be full of excitement. There will many twists and turns in the driver points and owner points battle. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jason Leffler and Brad Keselowski will all have great runs this season.

Expect to see Keselowski and Carl Edwards to be duking it out in the final races for the NASCAR Nationwide crown this season. I believe the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion will be……

A Guitar Won’t Be The Only Trophy Brad Keselowski Hoists Up In 2009

Brad Keselowski. That is my pick to win the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series Championship. Keselowski will bring JR Motorsports their first-ever title and make owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. very happy!