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–

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.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Simply put, it was James Buescher’s day.

Buescher pulled away in the closing laps for a convincing 5.320-second victory over Timothy Peters, who passed Brad Keselowski for the runner-up spot with three laps left in Saturday’s SFP 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Kansas Speedway.

Buescher earned his first win in the series, to go with his maiden Nationwide Series victory at Daytona in February. It was the second straight victory for Turner Motorsports, which sent Kasey Kahne to Victory Lane last Saturday at Rockingham, with Buescher running second.

“Turner Motorsports trucks are pretty awesome,” Buescher said. “Two in a row is saying something. Having our first win (for the team) last week with Kasey, and running second to him, we wanted to come here and win one for ourselves.”

Keselowski ran third, followed by Nelson Piquet Jr. and Todd Bodine.

“We needed a bit more speed to run with James, who was just lightning quick,” said Keselowski, who was attempting to become the 24th driver to win a race in each of NASCAR’s top three touring series. “We didn’t have anything for that, so hats off to his team and James himself.

“But we learned a lot, and hopefully we can take something away from it to help out Parker Kligerman (who drives Keselowski’s full-time No. 29 entry) and his efforts running for the championship, so for that I’m thankful.”

With the victory, Buescher narrowed Peters’ lead in the series standings to four points. Ron Hornaday Jr., Justin Lofton, Kligerman, rookie Ty Dillon and Miguel Paludo completed the top 10.

“He’s been a factor all this year this year and when we raced with him last year,” Peters said of the race winner. “He’s going be the one to contend for a championship, I feel like, and the RCR bunch are going to be ones to contend for the championship, and I think we are, too.”

Dillon is fourth in the standings, 14 points behind Peters and three behind third-place Lofton.

Driving his own truck for the second time this season, Keselowski surged past Buescher and into the lead shortly after a restart on Lap 105 of 167. Buescher pursued patiently until Lap 122, when he cleared Keselowski through Turn 4 to regain the top spot.

The longer the run, the more Buescher’s No. 31 Chevrolet flaunted its superiority. By Lap 140, with green-flag pit stops imminent, Buescher had opened an advantage of 5.4 seconds, with Peters closing in on Keselowski for the second position.

As the green-flag cycle began, Peters grabbed the No. 2 spot from Keselowski before heading to the pits on Lap 146. Buescher followed on Lap 150 and matched Peters with a four-tire stop. That left Keselowski, who took right-side tires only, in the lead, but Buescher quickly tracked down the No. 19 RAM and made the pass for the top spot on Lap 157.

The final 10 laps were a smooth cruise for the first-time Truck series winner.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race – SFP 250
Kansas Speedway
Kansas City, Kansas
Saturday, April 21, 2012

1. (6) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 167, $43150.
2. (10) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 167, $31890.
3. (12) Brad Keselowski(i), RAM, 167, $19985.
4. (8) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 167, $17075.
5. (9) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 167, $15550.
6. (16) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 167, $11925.
7. (3) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 167, $14025.
8. (11) Parker Kligerman, RAM, 167, $13950.
9. (5) Ty Dillon #, Chevrolet, 167, $14875.
10. (13) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 167, $15100.
11. (15) Cale Gale #, Chevrolet, 167, $13775.
12. (17) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 167, $13650.
13. (19) John King #, Toyota, 167, $13575.
14. (7) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 166, $13525.
15. (20) Dakoda Armstrong #, Toyota, 166, $12100.
16. (18) John Wes Townley #, Toyota, 166, $11350.
17. (1) Tim George Jr., Chevrolet, 166, $15625.
18. (2) Jason Leffler, Toyota, 165, $11025.
19. (4) Jason White, Ford, 164, $13225.
20. (31) Chris Fontaine, Chevrolet, 164, $11525.
21. (29) Bryan Silas #, Ford, 164, $13125.
22. (23) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 163, $13100.
23. (32) Scott Stenzel, Chevrolet, 163, $10825.
24. (14) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 162, $14050.
25. (36) Jennifer Jo Cobb, RAM, 160, $10925.
26. (34) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 159, $13000.
27. (27) Paulie Harraka #, Ford, 158, $12975.
28. (35) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 155, $11700.
29. (30) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 128, $11650.
30. (28) Chad McCumbee, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 54, $11125.
31. (22) David Starr, Toyota, Accident, 41, $10600.
32. (26) Brennan Newberry, Chevrolet, Accident, 40, $10575.
33. (21) Russ Dugger, Chevrolet, Accident, 39, $10550.
34. (24) Ross Chastain #, Toyota, Engine, 17, $10525.
35. (33) Chris Jones, Toyota, Rear End, 14, $10500.
36. (25) Jeb Burton #, Chevrolet, Accident, 2, $10471.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 121.112 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 04 Mins, 06 Secs. Margin of Victory: 5.320 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 28 laps.
Lead Changes: 16 among 8 drivers.
Lap Leaders: 0; J. Leffler 1-5; J. White 6-33; J. Buescher 34-36; J. White 37; C. McCumbee 38; T. Bodine 39-40; J. Buescher 41-96; R. Hornaday Jr. 97-99; J. Buescher 100-104; B. Keselowski(i) 105-121; J. Buescher 122-149; R. Hornaday Jr. 150; T. Bodine 151-153; D. Armstrong # 154; B. Keselowski(i) 155-156; J. Buescher 157-167.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Buescher 5 times for 103 laps; J. White 2 times for 29 laps; B. Keselowski(i) 2 times for 19 laps; T. Bodine 2 times for 5 laps; J. Leffler 1 time for 5 laps; R. Hornaday Jr. 2 times for 4 laps; D. Armstrong # 1 time for 1 lap; C. McCumbee 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: T. Peters – 163; J. Buescher – 159; J. Lofton – 152; T. Dillon # – 149; N. Piquet Jr. – 140; P. Kligerman – 137; R. Hornaday Jr. – 129; J. King # – 124; J. White – 120; M. Crafton – 115.

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. — Kasey Kahne capped a successful weekend of triple-duty Sunday afternoon, winning the Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 to mark NASCAR’s return to Rockingham Speedway for the first time since 2004.

Kahne — who finished seventh in the Sprint Cup Series on Saturday and third in the Nationwide Series on Friday at Texas Motor Speedway — surged to the front in the 155th lap of 200 to notch his fourth win in five starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

James Buescher finished second with Matt Crafton third and Johnny Sauter fourth. Timothy Peters jumped into the series’ points lead with a combination of a fifth-place finish and an early wreck for teammate John King, the Daytona winner who led the points coming in.

Brad Sweet qualified the No. 4 truck fifth, but Kahne had to start at the rear of the field because of the driver change. Even with traveling from Fort Worth overnight, getting approximately 4 1/2 hours of sleep and having no track time in preparation for the race, Kahne was poised to pounce in the late stages.

“This is probably the best weekend I’ve had in a long time,” Kahne said. “I got out of that truck and I’ve got three clean race cars and I ran three hard races this weekend, and everything’s clean — not a dent on ‘em. . . . It was a good weekend, tons of energy, and I’ll sleep good tonight when I finally decide to go to bed.”

Kahne played a prominent part in NASCAR’s last race here, when Matt Kenseth edged him at the line for a Sprint Cup Series victory. The memory of that race was on his mind when he returned to the mile oval.

“I’ve watched it on video and I can run it through my head and remember so many things about how that race finished,” Kahne said. “Those are kind of the memories that I have.”

Until now. Kahne withstood Buescher’s last-ditch effort on a restart with 20 laps left and had nowhere near as close a finish as last time around. Kahne was a comfortable 1.478 seconds ahead at the checkered flag.

Pole-starter Nelson Piquet Jr. — Kahne’s next-closest competition — dominated the early stages of the race, leading 85 of the race’s first 100 laps. But Piquet became mired in traffic after a lengthy pit stop shuffled him back to fifth during the third of the race’s four cautions.

He worked his way back to second place until incurring a pit-road speeding penalty during the final caution period. He rallied to finish seventh.

John King’s grasp on the series’ points lead fizzled early in the race, when he spun and nosed into the inside wall on the backstretch on Lap 4 to bring out the race’s first caution. King returned to the track after repairs, but wound up completing 56 laps and finishing 33rd, dropping him seven spots to eighth in the standings.

RACE RESULTS

1. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, $29,000.
2. (16) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 200, $23,840.
3. (8) Matt Crafton, Toyota, 200, $17,285.
4. (10) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 200, $17,400.
5. (3) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 200, $12,200.
6. (17) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 200, $10,450.
7. (1) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $14,500.
8. (12) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $11,250.
9. (6) Parker Kligerman, RAM, 200, $10,200.
10. (19) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 200, $11,425.
11. (27) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 200, $10,100.
12. (22) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $7,725.
13. (21) David Starr, Toyota, 200, $7,675.
14. (11) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 199, $7,625.
15. (23) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 198, $10,850.
16. (29) Timothy George Jr., Chevrolet, 198, $9,700.
17. (13) Cale Gale, Chevrolet, 197, $9,650.
18. (15) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 197, $9,600.
19. (18) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, 197, $7,300.
20. (20) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 197, $7,750.
21. (24) Caleb Holman, Chevrolet, 197, $7,350.
22. (32) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, 197, $9,450.
23. (30) Brennan Newberry, Chevrolet, 197, $7,175.
24. (28) Jason White, Ford, 196, $9,400.
25. (14) Ross Chastain, Toyota, 196, $9,500.
26. (2) Paulie Harraka, Ford, 195, $9,325.
27. (36) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, 195, $7,000.
28. (26) Tyler Young, Chevrolet, 193, $6,975.
29. (33) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 193, $7,925.
30. (35) Norm Benning, Chevrolet, 189, $8,400.
31. (7) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 135, $6,855.
32. (31) Bryan Silas, Ford, Accident, 119, $6,800.
33. (25) John King, Toyota, Accident, 56, $6,775.
34. (4) Jason Leffler, Toyota, Engine, 19, $6,750.
35. (34) Johnny Chapman, Toyota, Clutch, 13, $6,725.
36. (9) Grant Enfinger, Chevrolet, Transmission, 12, $6,702.

RACE STATISTICS

Average Speed of Race Winner: 107.239 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 51 Mins, 54 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.478 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 4 for 25 laps.
Lead Changes: 7 among 4 drivers.
Lap Leaders: N. Piquet Jr. 1-67; M. Crafton 68-82; N. Piquet Jr. 83-108; M. Crafton 109; N. Piquet Jr. 110-123; T. Peters 124-130; M. Crafton 131-154; K. Kahne 155-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): N. Piquet Jr. 3 times for 107 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 46 laps; M. Crafton 3 times for 40 laps; T. Peters 1 time for 7 laps.
Top 10 in Points: T. Peters – 121; J. Lofton – 115; T. Dillon – 114; J. Buescher – 111; P. Kligerman – 101; N. Piquet Jr. – 100; J. White – 94; J. King – 93; R. Hornaday Jr. – 90; D. Starr – 84.

Opened in 1965 – NASCAR’s fourth paved track measuring a mile or greater in length – Rockingham Speedway hosted 78 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events through 2004. The final race ranked as one of the track’s most exciting as Matt Kenseth held off Kasey Kahne’s furious last-lap, final-turn challenge to win by .010 seconds.

Appropriately, Kahne intends to be in the field for Sunday’s (SPEED, 1 p.m. ET) Good Sam Roadside Assistance 200 Presented by Cheerwine.

Known upon completion as North Carolina Motor Speedway, the track was built by Harold Brasington and Bill Land. Brasington also built Darlington Raceway, which heralded NASCAR’s superspeedway era in 1950.

The track saw a succession of owners including the DeWitt family, Roger Penske, International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports. Its closure in 2004 coincided with transfer of the track’s remaining date to Texas Motor Speedway. Current owner and former NASCAR Sprint Cup driver Andy Hillenburg purchased “The Rock” at auction in 2007.

This week’s race is the culmination of a five-year project by Hillenburg. Three ARCA races were held at the track in 2008-10 – two of them won by current NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitors Ty Dillon and Parker Kligerman.

“Kudos to Andy for being able to pull that off,” said Mark Martin, whose 13 victories – two NASCAR Sprint Cup, 11 NASCAR Nationwide – lead all drivers at Rockingham. “It’s cool to see them have the truck race there. Rockingham is just a ball to race on.”

Some Rockingham history:

· Curtis Turner won the track’s inaugural 500-mile race in October 1965 that took nearly five hours to complete. Turner and runner up Cale Yarborough were the only lead-lap finishers.

· Fifteen NASCAR Sprint Cup champions – all but two during the track’s existence – won races at Rockingham led by Richard Petty, who visited Victory Lane 11 times.

· Ten Rockingham winners are members of the NASCAR Hall of Fame: drivers Petty, Yarborough, Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, Bobby Allison and David Pearson; car owners Junior Johnson, Bud Moore and Glen Wood and crew chief Dale Inman.

· Benny Parsons, whose car was owned by Rockingham promoter L.G. DeWitt, never was able to win at the track. Parsons, however, clinched the 1972 championship there on an afternoon where his Chevrolet literally was rebuilt after an early-race accident.

· Steve Park drove a Dale Earnhardt Inc. Chevrolet to victory at Rockingham in February 2001, the race following Dale Earnhardt’s death in the Daytona 500. It also marked the debut of Kevin Harvick with Richard Childress Racing’s No. 3 team – which carried the No. 29 it bears today.

· Johnny Benson, the 2008 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, won his only NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Rockingham in 2002.

· For many years, the track’s fall race played host to the Unocal Pit Crew Challenge, an event that put names to faces of the sport’s over-the-wall crew members creating iconic names such as RCR’s “Flying Aces.” Its spirit continues with the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge to be held May 17 at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, N.C.

Jamie McMurray solidly etched his name in Rockingham lore winning the track’s final four NASCAR Nationwide Series races in 2002-04. He did it with three owners – Clarence Brewer, James Finch and Todd Braun – and four different crew chiefs. In 2002 McMurray led just the final two laps when the two leaders crashed in front of him. The next year he led 192 of 197 laps.

“I never went there with the mindset that I would be the driver to beat,” said McMurray, who won both Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 for his Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates Chevrolet team in 2010. “But even when I was having a bad year, we’d get a good finish (at Rockingham) and it would be a big confidence builder.”

McMurray is anxious to see Sunday’s race – if only on television. “Whether you are a crew member or driver, we’re all looking forward to it,” said McMurray, who finished third behind Kenseth and Kahne in Rockingham’s final race. “It’s one of the cooler tickets to buy. I didn’t think it would ever come back.”

Not everyone participating this weekend will be a Rockingham rookie – far from it. At least seven competitors have raced the track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup and/or NASCAR Nationwide Series. Todd Bodine, a two-time NASCAR Camping World Series champion, won two NASCAR Nationwide events, most recently in 2001. Another half-dozen drivers were in the fields for the track’s past ARCA races.

“Both my wins were very special and memorable to me,” said Bodine. “The first win (in 1995) was a three-wide, photo finish. I think I won that race by about six inches.”

Bodine and his brothers Geoff and Brett each have a NASCAR Nationwide victory at “The Rock” – a NASCAR rarity. “It’s really special for our family,” he said.

Bodine doesn’t expect the racing to be any different than it was nearly a decade ago. The track surface is rough, weathered and hard on tires. Patience likely will be a virtue, although fans can expect to see two and three-wide racing most of the afternoon.

“After about five laps there is no grip,” he said. “You’ll really have to have a truck that’s just well balanced. A lot of self-control goes into it. The last thing you want to do is over-drive it.”

MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Kevin Harvick may have relinquished ownership in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team, but he hasn’t lost any speed in the process.

Harvick crushed the rest of the field in Saturday’s Kroger 250, winning in seemingly effortless fashion by .953 seconds over Richard Childress Racing teammate Ty Dillon.

A caution for David Reutimann’s right-front tire on Lap 227 of 250 erased Harvick’s 1.4-second lead at that point, but after a restart on Lap 245, Harvick’s claim to the trademark grandfather clock trophy was a mere formality.

“Not a bad way to make our first truck start for RCR,” Harvick radioed after he crossed the finish line. Harvick led 248 laps, a series record.

James Buescher finished third, followed by Justin Lofton and Timothy Peters. Nelson Piquet Jr., Ross Chastain, Jason Leffler, John King and Jason White completed the top 10.

From 2008 through 2011, Harvick started 25 Truck Series races, all in his own equipment, and won 11 times. At the end of the 2011 season, however, the desire to start a family took precedence over NASCAR ownership, and Harvick and wife DeLana sold their Truck and Nationwide Series assets.

Some of Harvick’s truck equipment went to Eddie Sharp, some to Richard Childress.

Behind the wheel, it didn’t matter one bit that Harvick was driving a No. 2 Chevrolet fielded by his Sprint Cup Series owner.

First, Harvick won the pole for his season debut. Then he won the race, notching the 14th NCWTS victory of his career and his third at Martinsville.

Harvick was so dominant that, shortly after a restart on lap 165, he asked his spotter to relay a message to Dillon’s team. Harvick wanted Dillon to know that he was running at about 80 percent of his truck’s potential. “Tell him not to burn his stuff up (trying to catch us),” Harvick said.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve dominated like that and actually won,” Harvick said after the race. “We made a lot of changes over the offseason, moving teams to RCR, and this is what we’d hope for—to make what was a good truck team a better truck team.”

Harvick chose the outside lane on restarts to help ensure that Dillon, a rookie competing for the series championship, finished second.

“I knew we had a little bit better truck than what they had,” Harvick said, “but I didn’t want him to get hung on the outside. They’re racing for a championship, and it’s our job as the No. 2 team to go out there and help them and try to make sure they win the championship and we win races.”

King, who lost a lap early and regained it with a free pass, retained the series lead by one point over Peters and Lofton.

Jeb Burton, son of former Daytona 500 winner Ward Burton, was involved in a multicar wreck on Lap 235 but recovered to finish 13th in his series debut.

RACE RESULTS

1. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 250, $33,300.
2. (2) Ty Dillon, Chevrolet, 250, $25,340.
3. (9) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 250, $18,785.
4. (6) Justin Lofton, Chevrolet, 250, $15,300.
5. (3) Timothy Peters, Toyota, 250, $14,200.
6. (16) Nelson Piquet Jr., Chevrolet, 250, $11,675.
7. (17) Ross Chastain, Toyota, 250, $14,525.
8. (12) Jason Leffler, Toyota, 250, $9,225.
9. (32) John King, Toyota, 250, $11,425.
10. (22) Jason White, Ford, 250, $12,650.
11. (15) Parker Kligerman, RAM, 250, $11,325.
12. (20) JR Fitzpatrick, Chevrolet, 250, $8,950.
13. (7) Jeb Burton, Chevrolet, 250, $11,150.
14. (27) David Starr, Toyota, 250, $8,850.
15. (4) Cale Gale, Chevrolet, 250, $12,100.
16. (5) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 250, $8,700.
17. (14) Miguel Paludo, Chevrolet, 250, $10,900.
18. (31) Jake Crum, Chevrolet, 249, $10,850.
19. (26) Max Gresham, Chevrolet, 249, $10,800.
20. (25) David Reutimann, Chevrolet, 249, $9,100.
21. (36) Dakoda Armstrong, Toyota, 248, $8,450.
22. (18) Paulie Harraka, Ford, 248, $10,675.
23. (30) John Wes Townley, Toyota, 248, $8,400.
24. (11) Matt Crafton, Chevrolet, 246, $10,600.
25. (13) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 246, $8,425.
26. (33) Bryan Silas, Ford, 244, $10,475.
27. (35) Chris Cockrum, Chevrolet, 241, $10,450.
28. (19) Brennan Newberry, Chevrolet, Accident, 234, $8,175.
29. (8) Johnny Sauter, Toyota, 231, $10,125.
30. (21) Joey Coulter, Chevrolet, 228, $9,100.
31. (29) Clay Greenfield, RAM, Suspension, 151, $8,155.
32. (28) Ryan Sieg, Chevrolet, Oil Line, 148, $7,625.
33. (24) Dusty Davis, Toyota, Rear Gear, 104, $7,600.
34. (34) Jennifer Jo Cobb, RAM, Suspension, 95, $7,575.
35. (10) Jeff Agnew, Chevrolet, Accident, 90, $7,550.
36. (23) Rick Crawford, Chevrolet, Brakes, 6, $7,495.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 70.752 mph.
Time of Race: 1 hour, 51 minutes, 31 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 0.953 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 7 for 49 laps.
Lead Changes: 2 among 2 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 1-3; T. Dillon 4-5; K. Harvick 6-250.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 2 times for 248 laps; T. Dillon 1 time for 2 laps.
Top 10 in Points: J. King – 82; T. Peters – 81; J. Lofton – 81; T. Dillon – 78; J. White – 74; J. Buescher – 69; P. Kligerman – 66; N. Piquet Jr. – 61; R. Hornaday Jr. – 58; T. Bodine – 57.

Race Awards
Featherlite Most Improved Driver: Ross Chastain, 21 Places
Keystone Light Pole Award: Kevin Harvick, 95.665 mph
Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race: Earnhardt-Childress Racing Engines, No. 2
Mobil 1 Oil Driver of the Race: Ty Dillon
Sunoco Rookie of the Race: Ty Dillon

The two most dominant drivers in recent memory at Martinsville Speedway are still smarting from last season’s uncharacteristic Victory Lane shutout. If the 2011 blanking has made Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson even more motivated, the rest of the field could be in trouble.

Hamlin and Johnson will get their chance to scratch the win column again when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series makes its first stop of the year at its shortest track for the Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 (FOX, 1 p.m. ET).

The two drivers combined to win every event in a nine-race span from 2006 to 2010 at Martinsville; Johnson won five, Hamlin four. That changed last season.

Kevin Harvick won this race last April as both Hamlin and Johnson finished just outside the top 10. Both rebounded for top-five finishes at Martinsville in the fall, but victory narrowly eluded Johnson when Tony Stewart bypassed him for a statement-making win on the way to his third title.

“I certainly want to get back to my winning ways there,” Johnson said. “But at a minimum, we always end up with a real strong finish. When I think of how close we were to victory last fall . . . it didn’t happen, but we led a lot of laps and was a factor in the end.”

For Johnson, there’s extra motivation for a milestone victory. The next win by Hendrick Motorsports — winless so far in 2012 — will be the team’s 200th.

For Hamlin, an extra edge may come in the form of Darian Grubb, who manned the pit box for Stewart’s Martinsville win last October. The new driver-crew chief combination has already produced one victory for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team this season, lifting Hamlin to seventh in the Sprint Cup standings.

Hamlin hasn’t lacked for confidence at many points in his career, but exuded it with a bold Tuesday tweet: “If you are wondering who to pick in fantasy this weekend . . . choose 11.”

KING OF TRUCKS BACK AT IT AFTER LONG LAYOFF
John King has been living like royalty for five weeks now. That’s how long it’s been since his surprise victory in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

The truck tour resumes Saturday (SPEED, 1 p.m. ET) with the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway, the second race of the young season.

For King, it’s been a longer wait than most. On the heels of his Daytona win, he was eager to get back on the track the following Monday. Despite King’s extra anticipation, the time off did have a nice side benefit.

“It’s pretty cool the be the points leader for five weeks,” said King, who will turn 24 the day after Saturday’s race. “For five weeks, I’ve turned on SPEED and watched ‘Race Hub’ and seen my name scroll across the bottom of the screen — pretty wild.”

King finished 19th in his only truck start at Martinsville, in 2010, but has competed at the .526-mile track in Late Model competition. He says he’ll lean heavily on the experience of Red Horse Racing teammate Timothy Peters, a former Martinsville winner and resident of nearby Danville, Va.

“He’s in a sense, almost a short-track king,” King said. “I’ve picked his brain a lot already and I’m going to pick it a lot more, too, this week.”

King was practically speechless in Gatorade Victory Lane about his first win at Daytona International Speedway after only eight starts in the series.

“Man, I’m a rookie, I’m not supposed to be here,” said a flustered King. “This is unreal. I don’t know what to say. I have never driven anything so smooth in my life as that race truck. It’s just a dream come true.”

King led Timothy Peters across the finish line for a Red Horse Racing 1-2 finish while their third teammate Todd Bodine – a two-time race and series winner – netted his seventh top-five finish in eight starts at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

The win gave Toyota their sixth-straight win in the season opener – the most of any manufacturer – and marked the third time a driver has earned his first series win at the “World Center of Racing” (Michael Waltrip, 2011; Robert Pressley, 2002).

Turner Motorsports appeared primed to command the race after sweeping the top-three spots of the 36-truck field in qualifying and leading all but two of the first 83 laps. Pole-sitter Miguel Paludo led a race high 56 of the extended 109 laps – the most laps ever run in the 100-lap event. Paludo was just three laps shy of tying Mike Wallace for the most laps ever led in the race – 59 in 2000.

Ty Dillon, brother of 2011 series champion Austin Dillon and grandson or racing legend Richard Childress, showed veteran poise and skill as he brought the No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet home in ninth place. 2002 Daytona 500 champion Ward Burton, who made his first NASCAR national touring series start since October 2007, finished eighth in the No. 27 Chevrolet.

Townley, 22, has made seven starts in the Camping World Truck Series, most recently at Phoenix International Raceway in November, 2008.

Townley will join teammate Kenny Wallace, driver of the No. 09 Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

“I’m looking forward to this year,” Townley said. “It’s good to be racing in the Camping World Truck Series again, and doing it with RAB Racing makes it that much better.”

While the season-opening event will mark Townley’s first laps at Daytona International Speedway in Camping World Truck Series competition, he is no stranger to the World Center of Racing. In three ARCA Racing Series starts, the Watkinsville, Ga., native has two top-five finishes, including a career-best finish of third in February, 2010.

“I’m looking forward to expanding our operation and racing in the Camping World Truck Series,” said Robby Benton, owner of RAB Racing. “We’ll have a presence in two NASCAR garage areas this year, and I’m happy to be adding another strong Toyota entry. We started our current Nationwide Series program with John Wes, and we’re happy to be starting our Truck Series presence with him, as well.”

Townley will be backed by new sponsors for the 2012 season, as well as current sponsors of RAB Racing’s NASCAR Nationwide Series program.

The 22-race NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule kicks off on February 24 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla., and concludes November 16 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

A crew chief for the team will be named at a later date.

The team’s schedule could expand if more sponsorship is secured.

“The truck series is where I got my start,” said Reutimann. “It’s a very competitive series and I am thrilled to have this opportunity to run some races with a good team that is in the process of building.

“There is definitely the potential to run well (at RBR Enterprises). I wouldn’t have accepted this opportunity if I didn’t believe that. It’s going to be a challenge, but I like the fact that they are committed to bringing the best piece to the track at the races we run instead of taking less than our best to every race.”

The move to RBR Enterprises reunites Reutimann in the truck series with recently hired crew chief Jason Overstreet, with whom he worked at Darrell Waltrip Racing and Germain Racing. Together the duo combined for six poles and one race win in the series with Waltrip from 2004-06.

“Having worked with David and having a great working relationship with him definitely flattens the learning curve,” Overstreet said. “We have a lot of experience working together, so we have already hit the ground running and can’t wait for Daytona to get here.”

The driver agrees.

“It definitely makes things easier having that relationship with Jason,” Reutimann said. “It really is neat to be working with him again and not having to go through the whole process of learning someone new.”

Team owner Ricky Benton is looking forward to what Reutimann and Overstreet bring to the fledgling organization for the 2012 season.

“Over the last two years, we have made great progress in our truck program and are thankful for everyone who has been involved,” said Benton. “But putting a winning driver the caliber of David Reutimann behind the wheel and having Jason (Overstreet) managing the team and making the race day calls is going to take us to the level where we are running up front consistently and contending for wins.

“Now we just need to get a few more partners on the truck to make a run at the championship.”

Driver Clay Rogers finished 20th in the 2011 NCWTS points standings driving the No. 92 BTS Tire and Wheel Distributors/fleetHQ.com Chevrolet despite only making 15 of 25 starts in the series.

About RBR Enterprises

Based in tiny Cerro Gordo, N.C. (population 244), RBR Enterprises has been racing in numerous touring series throughout the Southeast for over 20 years. Competing extensively in the USAR Pro Cup Series – winning a championship in 2002 and two Rookie of the Year honors – the team has made forays into the ARCA Series and several NASCAR Touring Series. In 2010, RBR joined the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with driver Dennis Setzer, competing in eight races.

RBR teamed up with Clay Rogers for the 2011 season finishing 20th in the driver standings and 25th in the owner standings despite only running 15 of the 25 races. The season was highlighted by a third place finish in the season-open NextEra 250 at Daytona International Speedway.