The MOU, which can be accessed at http://bit.ly/EPA-NASCAR-mou, will pave the way for other opportunities and areas of focus for EPA and NASCAR such as sourcing more sustainable concessions at NASCAR events, expanding the use of DfE-labeled chemical products, conserving water, and continuing to grow the promotion and practice of all applicable types of recycling. Through E3, NASCAR and the EPA will work together to foster the adoption of green approaches, address sustainability challenges, and seize opportunities. A continuously greener sport – and NASCAR’s supplier network – will have positive economic and environmental impacts that extend far beyond the race track in the communities that NASCAR and the EPA serve.

NASCAR, in partnership with industry, environmental and academic groups, will also begin to evaluate the potential for adoption of green products as labeled under the EPA Design for the Environment program as having met rigorous environmental standards. NASCAR Green is also planned to be employed as a platform for enhancing awareness among NASCAR fans and business-to-business partners of the benefits of using DfE-labeled products in our homes, communities and at work. The MOU is based on the spirit of collaboration and does not address regulatory issues.

“This collaboration is a statement of NASCAR’s commitment to green innovation and our role as a leader in sustainability,” said Mike Lynch, NASCAR managing director of green innovation. “This partnership will provide new resources that will allow our industry to create innovative environmental education and awareness platforms while continuing to build on our strong momentum in reducing the environmental impact of our sport.”

“Because NASCAR is such a thrilling sport followed by millions of passionate fans and business-to-business partners, it can be a powerful platform to raise environmental awareness, drive the adoption of safer products by more Americans, and accelerate the greening of our economy to protect the planet,” said Jim Jones, EPA’s acting assistant administrator for the Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP). “The EPA and NASCAR partnership attests to the notable inroads that NASCAR has already made into the arena of environmental stewardship – through multiple recycling initiatives for waste and automotive fluids, to greener fuel choices.”

Last month, NASCAR issued a ‘white paper’ detailing the various programs that have made NASCAR a leader in green initiatives across all sports. The data in “The Sports Leader in Sustainability”^ illustrated the steps NASCAR has taken in educating fans, reducing the sport’s environmental impact and validating green technologies – both on and off the track. The report can be accessed at http://bit.ly/green-white-4-19.

^ Report not endorsed by the EPA.

NEWTON, Iowa – Ricky Stenhouse Jr.’s success at Iowa Speedway continues.

The defending NASCAR Nationwide Series points champion extended his winning streak at Iowa Speedway.

Stenhouse dominated the field for most of the race to capture the checkered flag at the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 in front of 34,000 fans Sunday. The win is the third straight at the 0.875-mile track for Stenhouse, who swept the two Nationwide races held here last year.

“Man, this one was fun,” Stenhouse said. “I love dominating those races.”

The Roush Fenway Racing driver claimed his third win in 10 starts this season, extending his series lead to 28 points over Elliott Sadler, who was second. Stenhouse grabbed his first lead by overtaking Sam Hornish Jr. on Lap 31 en route to leading 209 laps, tying an Iowa Speedway record set by Busch in 2010.

“It feels good to win three in a row,” Stenhouse said. “It was a lot of fun, leading that many laps.”

He became the first Nationwide driver to win three straight at a track since Kyle Busch won three straight at Texas Motor Speedway in 2009-2010. The streak was not a conversation topic, but no words were needed.

“That’s what we set out to do,” Stenhouse said. “We didn’t talk too much about it in the shop, but everybody knew we had one thing in mind coming here.”

The rest of the field could not keep up with Stenhouse, who blew away the field. It is different than Stenhouse’s win last August, when his engine failed on the final lap and he was pushed across the finish line by teammate Carl Edwards, who couldn’t avoid the accident.

“This is the way you want to run,” Stenhouse said. “You want to come out here and dominate.”

Cautions were the only thing that proved capable of closing the gap on Stenhouse’s leads, which grew to nearly five seconds at times. He held off the likes of Kurt Busch, Elliott Sadler and Justin Allgaier during late restarts.

The yellow flag caused Stenhouse to drop as low as fourth, after Danica Patrick’s blown right front tire slid her into the wall in the early going. Cole Whitt restarted at the lead spot, but Stenhouse soon passed Sadler for the lead near the midway point. Things became interesting with 65 laps remaining as Busch completed his move from worst to first after a restart. Less than a lap later, Stenhouse moved back into first and ran to Victory Lane.

“When you have a race car like we did you don’t ever want a caution to come out. It does and that’s just the way it is,” Stenhouse said. “I just wanted to make sure I was cautious. The race was just super-fast to get back to the front.”

The progression continues for Stenhouse and his team as they stay ahead of their pace set last year. Crew chief Mike Kelley prepared his team for a tough test, stressing it needed to work harder than ever to avoid losing steam.

“When you get on streaks or have a good deal going that if this was a race we didn’t win, I didn’t want it to kill our momentum,” Kelley said. “We had finished better at every track to this race than we did last year. We were 76 points ahead of where we were last year after nine races.”

With no Sprint Cup race Sunday and most racing fans’ eyes focused on Newton, the win had added importance.

“To come here to Iowa in front of a packed house,” Kelley said, “and to win the race the way we did today was a bold statement about where our team is and who our driver is.”

Sadler, who started on the pole, earned his third straight top-five finish at Iowa Speedway, leading two laps. He said the team made key adjustments through the race and was running its best at the end. The fourth and final caution, when former Motocross champion Travis Pastrana suffered electrical problems and bowed out at 26th hampered any chances to catch Stenhouse.

“It’s frustrating to finish second. I thought we had a car that could win the race,” Sadler said. “I’m proud of my guys to rebound the way they did.”

Michael McDowell snuck in late to place third. Austin Dillon was fourth, and increased his lead for Rookie of the Year honors.

McDowell said his car excelled on long runs. He climbed up to third after the third caution, but was assessed a speeding penalty in the pits, dropping him to the back of the pack.

“I just made a mistake,” McDowell said. “There were a lot of lapped cars between first and second and I tried to close the gap a little bit and just overdid it.

“It just showed how strong our car was.”

Busch had a strong run, finishing fifth after placing eighth at the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Drew Herring qualified the car 31st, but Busch started at the back.

“It’s great to sniff the lead, get close to it,” Busch said. “It’s just missing a couple little components.”

He was third when he got caught up with McDowell on the final lap. Busch saved the car in a lengthy sideways slide to preserve a fifth-place finish.

“At the end, my weak spot was Turn 1,” Busch said. “We were loose getting in there all day. McDowell got down in there, I was trying to hold him off and that’s what racing is all about. Two guys got together. Yeah, we got the short end of the stick but I don’t care.”

Darrell Wallace Jr., who made his Nationwide Series debut with Joe Gibbs Racing, placed ninth.

RACE RESULTS

1. (3) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 250, $91,143.
2. (1) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 250, $65,993.
3. (4) Michael McDowell, Toyota, 250, $47,418.
4. (6) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 250, $36,218.
5. (31) Kurt Busch, Toyota, 250, $25,225.
6. (5) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 250, $28,543.
7. (12) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 250, $27,428.
8. (10) Parker Kligerman, Dodge, 250, $26,388.
9. (8) Darrell Wallace Jr., Toyota, 250, $25,293.
10. (13) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 250, $25,568.
11. (7) Brian Scott, Toyota, 250, $23,793.
12. (2) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 250, $23,243.
13. (20) Brad Sweet, Chevrolet, 250, $22,718.
14. (18) Michael Annett, Ford, 249, $22,193.
15. (23) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 249, $22,643.
16. (11) Steve Arpin, Chevrolet, 249, $21,518.
17. (24) Jason Bowles, Toyota, 248, $21,493.
18. (33) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, 248, $21,043.
19. (25) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 247, $20,818.
20. (14) Casey Roderick, Chevrolet, 247, $14,800.
21. (26) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 247, $20,468.
22. (19) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, 246, $13,875.
23. (17) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 245, $13,725.
24. (29) Jamie Dick, Chevrolet, 244, $13,600.
25. (21) Timmy Hill, Ford, 244, $20,218.
26. (15) Travis Pastrana, Toyota, 228, $19,818.
27. (27) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, Alternator, 214, $13,425.
28. (36) Daryl Harr, Chevrolet, Engine, 207, $19,543.
29. (16) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, Accident, 179, $19,418.
30. (9) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 113, $19,593.
31. (28) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 87, $12,670.
32. (22) Jeff Green, Toyota, Accident, 70, $19,028.
33. (34) Joey Gase, Chevrolet, Engine, 50, $12,450.
34. (32) Josh Richards, Ford, Engine, 48, $12,340.
35. (42) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Ignition, 12, $12,235.
36. (41) John Jackson, Toyota, Vibration, 7, $12,125.
37. (37) Tim Andrews, Ford, Vibration, 6, $12,015.
38. (40) Matt Frahm, Chevrolet, Vibration, 5, $11,936.
39. (43) Michael Guerity, Chevrolet, Brakes, 4, $11,745.
40. (38) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Vibration, 3, $11,630.
41. (30) Kevin Lepage, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $11,465.
42. (39) Tim Schendel, Chevrolet, Overheating, 3, $11,345.
43. (35) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Handling, 2, $11,228.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 107.157 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 2 Mins, 29 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.465 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 27 laps.
Lead Changes: 9 among 6 drivers.

Lap Leaders: E. Sadler 0; S. Hornish Jr. 1-30; R. Stenhouse Jr. 31-83; J. Allgaier 84-86; R. Stenhouse Jr. 87-115; C. Whitt 116-119; E. Sadler 120-121; R. Stenhouse Jr. 122-188; K. Busch 189-190; R. Stenhouse Jr. 191-250.

Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): R. Stenhouse Jr. 4 times for 209 laps; S. Hornish Jr. 1 time for 30 laps; C. Whitt 1 time for 4 laps; J. Allgaier 1 time for 3 laps; K. Busch 1 time for 2 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 2 laps.

Top 10 in Points: R. Stenhouse Jr. – 412; E. Sadler – 384; A. Dillon – 369; S. Hornish Jr. – 338; C. Whitt – 320; M. Annett – 301; J. Allgaier – 299; M. Bliss – 259; J. Nemechek – 247; D. Patrick – 233.

Don’t blame the format.

There was nothing wrong with the structure of Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race — nothing, that is, that a few minor tweaks can’t fix.

Yes, the final 10-lap segment was anti-climactic. Having gained control of the race and the final restart by winning the first of four 20-lap segments, Jimmie Johnson gradually pulled away from Brad Keselowski during the final dash for the $1 million first prize.

The race didn’t provide what NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France likes to call “a Game 7 moment.” On the other hand, not every World Series has a Game 7, and sometimes, as with last year’s St. Louis Cardinals victory over the Texas Rangers, it’s a Game 6 moment that captivates the imagination.

The stat sheet from Saturday’s race belies what an enthusiastic crowd saw on the racetrack. True, there were only seven lead changes among seven drivers, even with segment winners lagging in the back after locking up their positions among the first four cars to enter pit road before the final run.

The box score shows Brad Keselowski winning the third segment wire-to-wire. The box score also shows yet another Sprint Cup Race without a caution for a racing accident. Four of the six yellow-flag periods were planned, as breaks between segments. The other two occurred when the experimental engines of Roush Fenway Racing drivers Carl Edwards and Greg Biffle blew up and oiled the track.

So, in one sense, the race didn’t live up to the billing its gets every year, as a slugfest rife with destruction and anger.

But even if wrecking — other than a few scrapes with the wall — took a vacation, there was plenty of racing action to admire.

After cutting a tire before the preliminary Sprint Showdown even started, AJ Allmendinger made a heroic run from the back of the field to the second transfer position into the All-Star Race.

My jaw dropped on the very first lap of the main event, as I watched Marcos Ambrose streak around the outside of Turns 1 and 2, as he mowed down nine cars on the opening circuit.

I saw Jimmie Johnson start sixth in the first 20-lap segment and move to the front within 15 laps, running down pole-sitter Kyle Busch to win the first leg.

Even though Keselowski led every lap of segment No. 3, I saw some of the most compelling racing of the evening in the closing laps, as Kasey Kahne drove like a wild man in pursuit of the No. 2 Dodge. With one lap left in the run, Keselowski took Kahne’s high line through Turns 3 and 4 and preserved his advantage.

On the next circuit, Keselowski was back on the bottom, almost as if he were giving Kahne a sporting chance. Kahne got a huge run off Turn 4 from the outside lane, and in a drag race to the finish, Keselowski won the segment by .006 seconds.

I heard one of the loudest roars I’ve heard in four years after Dale Earnhardt Jr., who transferred into the All-Star Race by winning the Showdown, completed a charge from the back of the field to the front and battled for the lead. Earnhardt won the final segment in a car that had had enormous speed — and a car, incidentally, that crew chief Steve Letarte may well bring back to Charlotte for next Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600.

So there was a lot to like about the All-Star Race, even absent a demolition derby in the last 10 laps. The evening had drama, and it had energy, even if it did have some quirks that need correcting.

After Johnson won the first segment — guaranteeing he would be first to pit road before the final run — he took the next three off, lagging behind the field and tuning his car. Matt Kenseth and Keselowski used a similar approach after winning segments 2 and 3, respectively.

Another advantage accrued to those three drivers. Knowing they would enter pit road for their mandatory final stops in the first, second and third positions, Johnson, Keselowski and Kenseth had the luxury of pitting for tires late in segment No. 4, under caution for Biffle’s blown engine, without sacrificing track position for the final run.

You could make a strong case, as Johnson did after the race, that after the first segment, the deck was stacked heavily in favor of the No. 48 Chevrolet.

There’s an easy way to fix that. Instead of allowing the winner of the first segment to enter pit road first — and almost assuredly leave pit road first after a stop-and-go — make the first segment winner come in fourth, the second segment winner come in third, and so forth.

Since the leader of the race with 10 to go is the driver most likely to win it, that would give segment winners an incentive to continue racing — not to hang back, as they did Saturday night.

If you prefer a more radical solution, then park a driver as soon as he wins a segment and keep the car parked until the final pit stop. That would prevent the team from tuning the car while other drivers are actually racing, and it would eliminate a potential tire advantage for the segment winners.

Sponsors might not like that approach, but interviewing drivers in their logoed uniforms while their cars are sidelined could compensate for the lack of track time.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the author

CONCORD, N.C. – Jimmie Johnson joined an elite club on Saturday night.

In beating Brad Keselowski to the finish of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway by .841 seconds, Johnson won the exhibition event for the third time, tying Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon for most all-time.

Matt Kenseth ran third, followed by Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who qualified for the event by winning the preliminary Sprint Showdown.

The All-Star Race win and accompanying seven-figure first prize ended a spectacular eight days for Johnson, who delivered victory No. 200 to owner Rick Hendrick May 12 at Darlington and on Thursday night cheered his crew to its first victory in the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge in Charlotte, N.C.

All told, Johnson won $1,071,340 for his third win in 11 All-Star starts.

“It means a ton to me,” Johnson said of tying Earnhardt Sr. and Gordon. “Those are two of the greatest drivers that have ever been in a stock car. I want to set my goals high, and I want to be considered one of the best to sit in a stock car, and the only way you can do that is by winning big races and piling up those stats.”

The All-Star Race victory was the seventh as a car owner for Hendrick, who sat on the window ledge and took a ride on Johnson’s winning Chevrolet after the race.

“That was the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in racing,” quipped Hendrick, who caught his foot in the dash while straddling the window.

Johnson was the first to stake his claim to a top spot in the running order, winning the first 20-lap segment after passing polesitter Kyle Busch for the top spot on Lap 15. In winning the first segment, Johnson earned the right to lead the field to pit road before the final 10-lap dash.

Thereafter, Johnson made frequent pit stops and ran behind the rest of the field to save his car for the finish.

“I let it rip around the top and got to the lead, and we were smart from there and made sure we worked on the car and got it right so we could be there at the end,” Johnson said. “Within two corners tonight — as I was on the outside, which is usually the place you don’t want to be — I knew it was on.

“I was able to get to the lead in that first segment and really set our night in the right direction and have control of the night. Everybody knew that, if you could win that first segment, you could control the night, and we were able to do that starting sixth, so it was pretty awesome.”

Keselowski thought Johnson showed his hand in the first segment.

“He started sixth, I believe, and drove to the lead in 20 laps,” Keselowski said. “I think that’s probably a pretty good indicator of the strength of his car. I don’t believe he passed anyone that was not good. We’ll just leave it at that.

“He passed Kyle, I think Denny (Hamlin), maybe (Kevin) Harvick. (Ryan) Newman. Those aren’t slouches that he passed, and he passed them in 20 laps. I think that’s a pretty good indicator of the strength of his effort. Whether that’s car or driver, I’ll let you all figure that out. That’s a pretty good indicator he was the guy to beat all night.”

Kenseth passed Hamlin with three laps left in the second segment and secured the win in that leg. Like Johnson, Kenseth spent segment No. 3 running at the back while Keselowski and Kasey Kahne waged an intense battle for the win.

Kahne got a strong run from the high line through Turns 3 and 4, but Keselowski held on to win the segment by .006 seconds.

Earnhardt won segment No. 4 by 1.618 seconds over Marcos Ambrose. After the 20-lap run ended, Johnson, Kenseth, Keselowski and Earnhardt entered pit road in that order, took no tires or gas and came out in those same top four positions for the final 10-lap run.

Of the top four drivers, Keselowski and Kenseth had the freshest tires, having stopped under caution for Greg Biffle’s blown engine on Lap 73. But Johnson’s No. 48 Chevrolet was the class of the field and pulled away for the win in an anomalous All-Star race that did not see a single caution for a racing accident.

Though Earnhardt transferred into the main event with a decisive victory in the Sprint Showdown, the compelling story of the preliminary event was polesitter AJ Allmendinger’s run from the back of the field to the second transfer spot after pitting with a flat tire coming to green at the start of the race.

Allmendinger took four tires during a pit stop between the Showdown’s two 20-lap segments, and the new rubber paid off. After two cars dropped out between segments and three others went to the rear because of pit road penalties, Allmendinger restarted 13th.

From the drop of the green flag on Lap 21, Allmendinger surged forward, finally passing Jamie McMurray for the second position with a hard run off Turn 2 on Lap 39 of 40.

“Jamie’s real good?he knows how to get around this place,” Allmendinger said. “He kept making sure he got good exit shots. Finally, he just got off the bottom a little bit. At that point, I wasn’t going to lift. I didn’t care if we all wreck, if I got into him or what.

“These guys on this Pennzoil Dodge, this Penske organization, they belong in this race. They deserve it more than I do. I was going to do everything I could to get ?em in, or I was going to die trying.”

Allmendinger finished third in the fourth segment of the All-Star Race, but a four-tire call on the final pit stop dropped him to the back of the field. Allmendinger charged to 11th before time ran out.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race – NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Concord, North Carolina
Saturday, May 19, 2012

1. (6) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 90, $1071340.
2. (19) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 90, $276340.
3. (15) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 90, $176340.
4. (1) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 90, $121315.
5. (21) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 90, $141315.
6. (5) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 90, $86315.
7. (18) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 90, $81165.
8. (17) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 90, $80165.
9. (20) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 90, $79165.
10. (2) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, 90, $88165.
11. (22) AJ Allmendinger, Dodge, 90, $77140.
12. (10) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 90, $76140.
13. (8) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 90, $75140.
14. (12) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 90, $74640.
15. (11) Trevor Bayne(i), Ford, 90, $74040.
16. (7) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 90, $73765.
17. (9) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 90, $73640.
18. (14) David Ragan, Ford, 90, $73535.
19. (23) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 90, $73435.
20. (3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 90, $78335.
21. (16) Mark Martin, Toyota, 90, $73235.
22. (4) Greg Biffle, Ford, Engine, 67, $73135.
23. (13) Carl Edwards, Ford, Engine, 25, $73034.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 92.045 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 28 Mins, 00 Secs. Margin of Victory: 0.841 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 6 for 10 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: Kyle Busch 1-14; J. Johnson 15-20; D. Hamlin 21-36; M. Kenseth 37-40; B. Keselowski 41-60; Kurt Busch 61-62; D. Earnhardt Jr. 63-81; J. Johnson 82-90.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): B. Keselowski 1 time for 20 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 19 laps; D. Hamlin 1 time for 16 laps; J. Johnson 2 times for 15 laps; Kyle Busch 1 time for 14 laps; M. Kenseth 1 time for 4 laps; Kurt Busch 1 time for 2 laps.

CONCORD, N.C.—NASCAR is the first motorsports organization to join Beyond Sport, a global entity that promotes the use of sport in effecting social change.

NASCAR has accepted an invitation to join Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the National Football League and the Women’s National Basketball Association as part of Beyond Sport’s broader global organization.

“We’re obviously very honored to be a part of what is going on at Beyond Sport,” NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France said at the announcement of the alliance. “The idea is that leagues, teams, athletes come together to share best practices in what they’re doing.

“It puts us on a big stage. We’re excited about it because of what all the teams and the individual drivers are doing (in the charitable realm). Frankly, it matches perfectly with directionally where we’re going. We’re investing a lot with kids, as you know. We’re certainly focused on the environment and giving back to different communities.”

Beyond Sport derives financial support from the corporate community, with contributed funds going to support its initiatives. In addition, the organization provides a way for representatives of the member leagues to meet at summits and share best practices.

NASCAR, for example, is at the vanguard of recycling efforts among major sports. The NHL is a leader in using tons of leftover food from its events to feed the hungry.

“If you look around our sport, and you consider all that our drivers do — the teams, the tracks, and our sponsors — collectively, the impact that they make in giving back to the community is really amazing,” said Steve Phelps, NASCAR’s chief marketing officer and senior vice president.

“Beyond Sport will give us an opportunity to share best practices with other leagues and brands around the world, and most importantly, to have us be able to share what we’re doing in these areas. I know the people at the NASCAR Foundation, NASCAR Green and NASCAR Diversity are thrilled at the opportunity to work with Beyond Sport folks, and I’m sure that the sport as a whole and the broader industry will benefit from this new relationship.”

WHAT NEW AERO RULES?
Admittedly, Sprint Cup drivers haven’t raced in heavy traffic since NASCAR mandated shorter side skirts for the cars, but in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race practice and qualifying Friday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, most drivers felt little or no difference in the way their cars performed.

NASCAR required crews to trim the side skirts on their cars one inch on the right side and an inch and a half on the left, thereby increasing the ground clearance. The result is a decrease in downforce and stability, though the difference isn’t profound.

“I think there was a little bit of a different feel, sure” said Kyle Busch, who won the pole for the All-Star Race. “Any time you take downforce off a car, you’ll feel it a little bit. Surprisingly, though, we didn’t see the lap times slow down as much as we anticipated maybe.

“Based off practice speeds, we ran the same practice time last year to this year. It might just be the progression — or the tire, because the tire’s a different tire, too, and maybe that played a little bit into it. But, overall, it’s a little different feel, but it’s not a big swing.”

Michael Waltrip Racing driver Martin Truex Jr. thought it was tough to make a comparison with previous trips to Charlotte because of changing track conditions and the continued development of the current-generation racecar.

“To be honest with you, I didn’t feel a big difference from what we’ve been racing,” Truex told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Obviously, we haven’t been here since last year. I felt like the track was a little bit different than it was here last year — getting a little rougher — and I think it’s lost a little bit of grip, too.

“With those little differences out there, it’s hard to compare. Our cars are so much different than they were here a year ago, as far as our stuff at MWR, so it’s really hard to compare apples to apples, (but) to be honest, I didn’t really feel a big difference from what we’ve been feeling the rest of the season.”

Carl Edwards, a proponent of reducing downforce, said he felt no difference at all.

“I didn’t run around any other cars or anything, but I didn’t notice anything,” Edwards said. “If they wouldn’t have talked about it a little bit and told me before practice what was going on, I wouldn’t have known — so no effect from where I sit.”

NEW APPROACH TO PIT CREWS
That Jimmie Johnson’s crew won the NASCAR Sprint Crew Challenge on Thursday night was hardly surprising. More remarkable was the complete turnover of the five-time champion’s over-the-wall gang.

No member of Johnson’s 2009 and 2010 title teams is still on the crew in any of the skill positions. Does that mean the template for a pit crew member has changed in the last three years?

“Yeah, just like the sport in so many other respects, it continues to evolve,” Johnson told the NASCAR Wire Service. “For a long time, due to budget reasons and the structure of the budget for our organization, we worked hard to have over-the-wall guys that also had some responsibilities in the shop. (Current car chief) Ron Malec was a tire carrier for a long time.

“We were getting our money’s worth out of Ron week-in and week-out. Today, it’s changed. The physical demand on the road crew guys, working on the car three days in advance — here when the garage opens, when it closes — it takes away a little bit. Pit road is so competitive that we felt we needed to have just specific over-the-wall guys.”

Crew chief Chad Knaus actually held mini camps for prospective pit crew members, drawing from college sports.

“Our whole search started and took us some time to get everybody in the right positions and get the experience they need, but now it’s really paying off,” Johnson said.

CONCORD, N.C. — With Brad Keselowski dogging him to the finish line, and with just enough fuel to make it to the end of the race, Justin Lofton held off Brad Keselowski to win Friday night’s North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

The victory was the first in the series for Lofton, who arrived at the finish line .261 seconds ahead of owner/driver Keselowski, who was trying to score his first NCWTS win. Lofton took over the series lead by one point over Timothy Peters.

Todd Bodine ran third, followed by Jason Leffler and Ron Hornaday Jr. After the race Keselowski had a heated exchange with Hornaday, stemming from contact between their trucks on the next-to-last restart with nine laps left.

After a lackluster start to the race, when he quickly dropped from second to seventh in the space of three laps, Lofton began learning.

“I had had terrible restarts all night,” Lofton said after the race. “The truck was not bad on the very first start of the race — I just had that bad a (start) and fell back that far. But the stars aligned, I figured out what I needed to do, and the best thing is, I outsmarted him (Keselowski).

“I think I had some help from Ron Hornaday, when he and Keselowski got in a little battle. Once I got out front (with four laps left), I knew I was OK. There was a short amount of laps left that I knew I could stay out front. I surprised myself, definitely.”

Keselowski had just cleared Lofton for the lead entering Turn 1 on Lap 119 when Nelson Piquet Jr. caused caution for the second straight time when he pancaked his No. 30 Chevrolet against the Turn 1 wall.

But Keselowski lost the lead on the restart on Lap 125 of 134 when Hornaday, who lined up behind him, ran into the back of his No. 19 Ram. To Keselowski, the contact was unjustified.

“I came on the radio and asked him, ‘Hey, man, I’ll play it cool; just be nice and smooth, and we’ll both have great days,” Keselowski said of his communication with Hornaday before the restart. “Instead he decided to be a jackass and just run me over.

“And it cost him what would have been an easy second place, and then it obviously cost me the win, so we both lost out on the deal.”

For Hornaday, who scored his first top-five finish with Joe Denette Motorsports, time was running short with just nine laps left.

“They stopped and played jackrabbit,” Hornaday said of Lofton and Keselowski, “and somebody got into the back of me, and I just had to go, too. Sorry about that to him, but we’re all looking for spots — and it’s pretty cool for Joe Denette Motorsports to get a top five.”

Lofton held the lead when caution flew for the eighth time with four laps left for debris in the form of a bumper bar in the racing groove. Keselowski fell back on the restart and didn’t have time to catch Lofton before the finish.

RACE RESULTS

1. (2) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 134, $42,625.
2. (9) Brad Keselowski, RAM, 134, $25,765.
3. (17) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 134, $21,235.
4. (5) Jason Leffler, Toyota, 134, $15,825.
5. (15) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 134, $14,900.
6. (7) Jason White, Ford, 134, $12,200.
7. (3) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 134, $11,700.
8. (21) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 134, $14,800.
9. (4) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 134, $11,475.
10. (1) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 134, $14,950.
11. (14) Parker Kligerman, RAM, 134, $10,950.
12. (11) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, 134, $10,775.
13. (24) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 134, $10,650.
14. (12) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 134, $10,550.
15. (6) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 134, $11,325.
16. (22) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 134, $10,550.
17. (34) David Starr, Toyota, 134, $10,300.
18. (31) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, 134, $8,000.
19. (8) Cale Gale, Chevrolet, 134, $10,200.
20. (26) Bryan Silas, Ford, 134, $10,775.
21. (35) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 134, $7,830.
22. (10) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 134, $8,775.
23. (28) Jake Crum, Chevrolet, 132, $7,750.
24. (23) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 131, $8,725.
25. (13) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 127, $8,825.
26. (25) Jennifer Jo Cobb, RAM, 126, $7,650.
27. (29) Brennan Newberry, Chevrolet, 125, $7,625.
28. (27) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, Engine, 101, $7,600.
29. (16) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, Accident, 98, $7,550.
30. (20) Paulie Harraka, Ford, Accident, 84, $8,025.
31. (30) Chad McCumbee, Chevrolet, Overheating, 61, $7,500.
32. (32) Chris Fontaine, Chevrolet, Engine, 40, $7,450.
33. (19) John King, Toyota, Accident, 24, $7,425.
34. (36) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, Overheating, 19, $7,400.
35. (18) Ross Chastain, Toyota, Engine, 12, $7,370.
36. (33) Clay Greenfield, RAM, Power Steering, 6, $7,350.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 109.786 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 49 Mins, 51 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.261 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 8 for 36 laps.
Lead Changes: 8 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: T. Dillon 1-25; R. Sieg 26-30; J. Buescher 31-40; B. Keselowski 41-66; R. Hornaday Jr. 67; T. Peters 68-84; J. Lofton 85-118; B. Keselowski 119-124; J. Lofton 125-134.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Lofton 2 times for 44 laps; B. Keselowski 2 times for 32 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 25 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 17 laps; J. Buescher 1 time for 10 laps; R. Sieg 1 time for 5 laps; R. Hornaday Jr. 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: J. Lofton – 200; T. Peters – 199; T. Dillon – 184; J. Buescher – 182; P. Kligerman – 170; R. Hornaday Jr. – 169; J. White – 158; N. Piquet Jr. – 155; T. Bodine – 151; J. Coulter – 145.

–30–

CONCORD, N.C. – Kyle Busch and his crew had all three elements necessary to win the pole for Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race — speed on the racetrack, speed on and off pit road and speed from the pit crew during the mandatory green-flag stop at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

With a total time of one minute, 59.112 seconds (136.006 mph) over three laps and the pit stop, Busch edged Ryan Newman in Friday’s time trials for the top starting spot in the race with a $1 miilion first prize.

Newman (135.202 mph) went out second and was the only driver other than Busch to post a sub-two-minute qualifying effort (1:59.821). Fastest in Friday’s practice, Busch was the last driver to make a qualifying attempt under the format unique to the All-Star Race.

Denny Hamlin (134.811 mph) claimed the third starting position, followed by Cup points leader Greg Biffle (134.529 mph) and Kevin Harvick (134.304 mph).

Busch won his third All-Star pole but has never won the race. Neither has his team, Joe Gibbs Racing. Busch started from the top spot last year, but Carl Edwards took home the $1 million.

Saturday’s race will be contested in five segments, four of 20 laps each followed by a 10-lap dash to the finish. The winners of the first four segments enter the pits in the top four spots for a mandatory stop before the final segment.

“We unloaded with a really fast racecar today,” Busch said. “The guys made some minor changes to it to kind of feel it out and make it better where we could. The guys did a great job there with the pit stop, coming down pit road and changing four (tires) and then getting back out there and coming back to the line pretty quick.

“The rules change every year, so I guess this year you’ve got to make sure you win a segment, so you can at least have a shot at starting up front for the final segment.”

Coming to the checkered flag, Kasey Kahne lost control of his No. 5 Chevrolet and slammed into the Turn 4 wall. Kahne did not post a qualifying time and will start from the rear of the field in a backup car.

Kahne was on sticker tires after the mandatory pit stop.

“I was just trying to get all I could and went a little too far,” Kahne said.

AJ Allmendinger won the pole for Saturday’s Sprint Showdown, which will send its top two finishers to the main event. Allmendinger covered the 1.5-mile distance in 28.057 seconds (192.465 mph) to beat Martin Truex Jr. (191.049 mph) for the top starting spot in the qualifying race.

“For me, it was the perfect lap,” said Allmendinger, who ran within inches of the Turn 4 wall on the money lap. “More than anything, the car stuck to the racetrack. We struggled a little bit in practice. The (car) had speed in it, but it wasn’t really comfortable.

“So (crew chief) Todd Gordon and the guys went to work, and I felt like that was as perfect as I could run a lap.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. (191.002 mph) will start third. In addition to the top two finishers in the Showdown, the winner of the Sprint Fan Vote will transfer to the All-Star Race.

CONCORD, N.C. – Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman are friends — at least they were.

As late as 2008, the drivers were teammates at Penske Racing, and in the first race of that season, Busch pushed Newman to victory in the Daytona 500.

In light of their past relationship, Busch took offense at Newman’s comments after last Saturday’s Bojangles’ Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, an event that ended with Newman’s No. 39 Stewart-Haas crew — specifically gas man Andy Rueger — confronting the driver of the No. 51 Phoenix Racing Chevrolet.

Busch blew a tire and hit the wall off Turn 2 late in the race. Newman checked up behind Busch and was turned into the inside wall by Aric Almirola. Both Busch and Newman brought their cars to pit road for repairs.

Newman left his pit stall first. Busch burned rubber through Newman’s adjacent stall, producing a cloud of smoke, while several of Newman’s crew members were still in the box. After the race, Busch bumped Newman’s car on pit road, claiming he was removing his helmet and didn’t realize how close he was to Newman’s Chevy.

Newman didn’t buy the explanation, which he termed “a lie.” Newman also referred to Busch’s “chemical imbalance,” absent any medical evidence to support that assertion.

“Newman and I were friends,” said Busch, who on Tuesday was fined $50,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until July 25 for reckless driving on pit road. “We were great teammates. And he needs to check his trophy case on that Daytona 500 trophy that I helped him get years ago.

“We were always great friends. There was no need for his comments afterwards. He knew his Southern 500 didn’t go the way he wanted it to, and at the end of the night everyone is hot and pissed off. The Daytona 500 is a big race. Darlington 500 is just as big of an event, and a lot of people get excited for it. I wanted to finish in the top 10 and we didn’t get that top-10 finish. So it was a tough night and it all went bad in a hurry.”

In defense of his burnout through the Newman pit, Busch said he was trying to avoid the loss of a lap.

“We just wanted to finish on the lead lap,” Busch said. “So I was trying to get off pit road as quick as I could. Newman, he left his pit a good 10 seconds before us, and I didn’t think there was any reason to think that any of the crew guys were in danger.

“One guy (Rueger) has a problem with it, and it just escalated from there.”

FINAL SEGMENT STRATEGY
Given the importance of track position for the final 10-lap segment of Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star Race, drivers are unlikely to take tires during a mandatory pit stop before the dash for the $1 million top prize.

Greg Biffle says he expects the winner of the race to come from the first three rows on the final restart — whether a driver has new rubber or not.

“There’s no mystery to what’s going to happen,” Biffle told the NASCAR Wire Service. “Track position is what’s going to win the race, and we’ll see what this track thinks of new tires. As the track ages, as the tire is maybe a little bit different . . . the same tire, but maybe it acts a little different on the racetrack — so after 20 laps, we’ll see how important a new tire is.

“Maybe it doesn’t really matter that much, so we’ll have some practice and a little bit of the race to figure that out — but you’ve got to be at the front at the end. You’re not going to win from the fourth, fifth or sixth row just because you have new tires, I don’t think. Anything can happen, but it’s going to be track position, and maybe it’s two tires, maybe it’s no tires (on the final stop).”

NO RACING FOR GEORGIA REPUBLICAN?
Jack Kingston, a Republican Congressman from Georgia, has joined the crusade of Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) to bar the Department of Defense from sports-related advertising for the military.

McCollum and Kingston co-sponsored an amendment to the 2013 defense appropriations bill that would end sports sponsorships by the military. The bill, including the amendment, already has passed the House Appropriations Committee.

The bill is a long way from becoming law, with a full House vote and passage by the Senate still required, but the measure could jeopardize the National Guard sponsorship of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the U.S. Army’s backing of Ryan Newman.

Kingston, who has never attended a NASCAR race, said the Pentagon had a year since McCollum introduced a similar measure last year to prove the value of sports sponsorships — and had not done so.

Perhaps Kingston hasn’t talked to the right people. Lt. Gen. Benjamin Freakley of the U.S. Army Accessions Command (which oversees recruiting) said last year that the Army’s NASCAR program had produced more than 46,000 bona fide recruiting leads in 2010 from its NASCAR program alone.

Earnhardt suggested that the amendment’s sponsors should do more homework before drawing conclusions. He’s also surprised a Republican from the South hasn’t made a play for the “NASCAR Dads” audience.

“Yeah, just because he’s a Republican from Georgia, he should have been to a NASCAR race by now,” Earnhardt quipped.

AMBROSE PROUD OF A CHEVY?
Marcos Ambrose drives a Ford in the Sprint Cup Series, but that doesn’t mean the Tasmanian driver can’t be proud of an Australian product that will make its way into NASCAR’s top division next year.

Chevrolet recently announced its 2013 model for the Cup series, a rear-wheel drive SS performance sedan that owes its origins to such vehicles as the Camaro and upcoming VF Commodore, a product of the Holden subsidiary of General Motors in Australia.

“It’s the wrong make, so I want to be a little careful of what I say here, but I’m really proud to think that Australia can produce, with their people and infrastructure, a world-standard car that Chevrolet would like to bring to the U.S. and sell here,” Ambrose told the NASCAR Wire Service.

“I’ve grown up driving rear-wheel-drive cars, manual cars — it’s just a standard thing out there. It’s a world-class product, and I look forward to racing against them and beating them, but it’s definitely made a buzz in Australia.”

Then you remember, he’s just 18 years old.

Wallace will make his first start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Sunday in the Pioneer Hi-Bred 250 (ESPN, 2 p.m. ET) at Iowa Speedway. He’ll drive the No. 20 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing, the same team that has accelerated his development in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.

Wallace, the first African-American and youngest driver to win a K&N Pro Series East event — at 16 years, five months, 19 days — is a product of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Since his 2010 debut, he has six K&N victories, including one earlier this season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, site of his first victory in the series.

While Wallace is already well-versed at winning in NASCAR, Sunday’s race promises to be a different beast.

“It’s definitely kind of a pressure lifted off my shoulders now, kind of moving up, but also it’s still there,” Wallace said. “It’s moving up into the top three series in the NASCAR ranks. Definitely going to be some pressure there.”

Wallace already has experience on the 7/8-mile Iowa track, where he has finishes of third and sixth in his previous K&N Pro Series East appearances. He figures to gain more experience in the K&N series’ 150-lap event there Saturday.

Blessed with the resources of JGR’s equipment and top-notch roster of drivers to tap for advice, Wallace says he’s leaned on his team as “the backbone” of support for his jump to the Nationwide tour. While there’s plenty of anticipation surrounding his maiden voyage in the series, Wallace is content to manage his expectations.

“It’s my first race. I’m not going out there to set the world on fire,” Wallace said. “I’m definitely going out there to show my capabilities, what I’m able to do on the track and also off the track.”

The only other driver doing double duty in the Nationwide and K&N races is Travis Pastrana, who’s certain to attract attention from the already established fans of his action sports exploits. Pastrana will be making his third NASCAR Nationwide Series start, hoping to improve upon his midpack finishes at Richmond and Darlington.

“We need to get better at qualifying,” Pastrana said. “This week, Nationwide and K&N practice are on the same day so I am really going to have to focus. It could be very easy to get confused on which car has which feel. However, our goal this year has not changed. I need to go out there and finish every lap so I can get the most experience possible.”

If there’s a pre-race favorite, the odds likely tilt in favor of Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who swept both races at Iowa Speedway last season on the way to the Nationwide series championship. Stenhouse enters the 10th event of 2012 as the points leader with two victories already this season.

Edwards gears up for shot at $1 million All-Star repeat
Carl Edwards is the one driver in the garage who can claim to be most recently familiar with winning the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. But just one week ago, he admitted he wasn’t completely familiar with the event’s new format.

At Darlington Raceway last weekend, Edwards was asked about his hopes for an All-Star repeat and his thoughts about the new five-segment schedule for the annual non-points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“I don’t know . . .,” Edwards replied. “What is the new format?” As the tweaks to this year’s race were explained to him, a slight grin crossed his face: “Oh, that’s cool.”

Edwards figures to be more familiar with the nuances come Saturday night, when he defends his title in the 28th edition of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race (SPEED, 7 p.m. ET).

Edwards, currently mired in a 44-race winless streak in points-paying events, last performed his signature victory backflip in this race last season. Although an all-star win wouldn’t count toward ending the second-longest drought of his career or increasing his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points total, the $1 million winner’s purse and bragging rights would go a long way toward giving his Roush Fenway Racing team a boost.

This year’s race will have four 20-lap preliminary segments with a final 10-lap shootout. A pit stop is mandatory before the final leg of the race and the four preliminary winners (or highest finishers, in the event a driver wins multiple segments) will receive the advantage of entering pit road first for the final stop.

“That’s going to make those first races really important,” Edwards said. “If you look at the way the racing is right now, you start up front and you’ve got a huge advantage. That’s a great way to address that issue.

“We started, I think, first or second in the last segment last time and that was a huge advantage for us. I don’t know if we would’ve been able to win if we started back in the pack. That’s going to put a premium on those first segments. I think you’ll see guys really, really battling it out.”

The level of competition promises to be as hectic as ever, which is a departure from the all-star exhibitions of other sports. The seven-figure payday for the winner plays no small role in ramping up the intensity.

“Any time they put that much money in front of anybody, it’s going to cause things to rise to another level,” said Kevin Harvick, the 2007 winner of the event. “Take the points away from that and you really have some unique scenarios that have come up over the past several years in all-star races.”

The night will also feature the Sprint Showdown qualifying race, where the top two finishers will transfer into the main event. One other driver will be selected for the all-star race through a fan vote to complete the exclusive 23-car field.

BUESCHER POURS IT ON IN TRUCKS
For two big reasons, James Buescher has forged closer bonds with his Turner Motorsports team this season.

For one, a growing sense of team chemistry has spurred the No. 31 Chevrolet to improved on-track performance in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The off-track reason is Buescher’s offseason marriage to Krishtian Turner, making team owner Steve Turner his father-in-law.

With the close-knit team now closer than ever, Buescher’s stock has risen. Fresh from his victory in the truck series’ most recent race, at Kansas Speedway, he now stands second in the standings, just four points back of leader Timothy Peters entering Friday night’s N.C. Education Lottery 200 (8 p.m. ET, SPEED) at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

“Everything seems to be clicking,” said Buescher, who also won the NASCAR Nationwide Series opener at Daytona in a Turner car. “I joked earlier in the season that getting married in the offseason, I finally started winning some races. So I don’t think that’s a reason.

“But I think just the evolution of our team, it’s still a young team. We have only been a NASCAR team for a few years now. . . . So it’s not like we had a whole lot of experience coming into it, and I think it’s just taken some time to figure everything out, and be able to put every piece of the puzzle together.”

Buescher has done plenty of double duty this season. He’s competing for the championship in trucks, but has also run all but one Nationwide race. Having a dose of success on both tours has been a confidence builder for Buescher, who had been winless in both series dating back to his NASCAR debut as an 18-year-old in 2008.

“It does weigh on you and it weighs on your mind when you’re in a losing streak like that,” said Buescher, who has finished no worse than third in the last three truck series races. “But you know, when you finally can get to Victory Lane twice in a couple months, it just gives you the confidence to know that you are capable and you do have a team capable of winning, and you’ve just got to keep trying to get to Victory Lane, because even though we have done it twice, it doesn’t mean it’s going to make the next time any easier.

“We just have to keep working like we are and don’t take anything for granted.”

Peters doesn’t have a win this season, but his consistency (top-five finishes in all four races in 2012) has him atop the points. Kyle Busch, winner of the last two truck events at Charlotte, has curbed his competition in the series and is not entered this year.