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.

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.

DARLINGTON, S.C. – Joey Logano drove away from Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin after a green-white-checkered-flag restart and won Friday night’s VFW Sport Clips 200 Nationwide Series event at Darlington Raceway.

Hamlin, who complained of an engine problem during the final two laps, finished .256 seconds behind Logano in the runner-up position. Brad Keselowski ran third, followed by Sam Hornish Jr. and rookie Austin Dillon, as the race went four laps past its scheduled distance of 147 laps.

The victory was Logano’s second straight in the series, his third of the season and the 12th of his career. Danica Patrick finished 12th and Travis Pastrana 17th, both on the lead lap in their Darlington debuts.

Elliott Sadler took a bump from Logano’s Toyota moments after a restart on Lap 143 and nosed into the outside wall near the entry to Turn 1. Sadler’s car was too hobbled to continue, leaving him in 24th place at the finish and dropping to 23 points behind series leader Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who started on the pole and finished sixth.

Sadler’s crash caused the sixth caution of the race and forced overtime, with the field taking the green flag on Lap 150.

Hamlin led Kurt Busch by more than five seconds when the right-front tire on Busch’s No. 54 Toyota blew on Lap 126, shooting the nose of the car into the outside wall. The resulting caution brought the top cars to pit road, with Sadler grabbing the lead with a two-tire stop under the yellow.

Before the caution, the fourth of the race, Hamlin had dominated. Busch took the lead briefly with a bold three-wide move on a Lap 51 restart, but Hamlin regained the top spot on Lap 53 and began to pull away.

His advantage over Busch grew to nearly seven seconds through a cycle of green-flag stops, before Busch’s tire blew to bring out the yellow flag.

Two crew chiefs for Penske Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series were placed on probation and drew $10,000 fines Tuesday for violations found last weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.

Jeremy Bullins, crew chief for the No. 22 Dodge driven at Talladega by Brad Keselowski, and Chad Walter, crew chief for Sam Hornish Jr.’s No. 12 Dodge, were each fined $10,000 and placed on probation for the rest of the year for illegal modifications discovered during opening inspections on May 3. Car chiefs Thomas Clavette (No. 22) and Raymond Fox (No. 12) were also placed on probation until Dec. 31.

The penalties were identical to those issued one week ago to six crew chiefs and car chiefs with Richard Childress Racing and Turner Motorsports for similar infractions the previous weekend at Richmond, Va.

The two Penske cars failed pre-race inspection at Talladega after NASCAR officials determined that the front bumper covers had unapproved alterations.

With new bumper covers installed, Hornish finished 12th and Keselowski 20th in Saturday’s Aaron’s 312.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – With a slingshot move past Sprint Cup teammate Kyle Busch five laps into overtime, Joey Logano won Saturday afternoon’s Aaron’s 312 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Logano beat Busch to the finish line by .034 seconds to win his second NNS race of the season and the 11th of his career.

Defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. ran third and took over the points lead from Elliott Sadler. Cole Whitt came home fourth, followed by his JR Motorsports teammate and boss Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Danica Patrick finished 13th, but after the checkered flag, she exacted revenge on Sam Hornish Jr. for an earlier slight, knocking Hornish into the outside wall.

The race was red-flagged for a nine-car wreck that interrupted the first attempt at a green-white-checkered-flag finish on Lap 117. Eric McClure got the worst of the collision, taking a jarring hit against the SAFER barrier on the inside of the backstretch approaching Turn 3.

McClure was awake and talking to safety workers after the crash but was airlifted to UAB Medical Center in Birmingham to receive treatment for unspecified injuries.

After a stoppage of 19 minutes, the race resumed with the second attempt at a green-white-checker finish.

The wild wreck on Lap 117 was emblematic of an action-filled race.

Contact from Kurt Busch’s No. 1 Chevrolet sent Brian Scott’s No. 11 Toyota spinning on Lap 29, triggering a wreck that also involved Josh Richards, Morgan Shepherd and Jason Bowles.

Busch was charging from the back of the field after serving a penalty for dragging a fuel can from his pit stall under caution for Johanna Long’s blown engine on Lap 22.

Under yellow for the Lap 29 wreck, Austin Dillon ran into the back of John Wes Townley’s No. 24 Toyota, which was blocking Dillon’s egress from the pit box.
Dillon’s car, however, sustained only cosmetic damage, and the reigning Camping World Truck Series champion soon worked his way back to the front of the field. His day ended when he was involved in the Lap 117 melee, leaving him to finish 17th.

Earnhardt had led 19 laps before a multicar wreck on the frontstretch slowed the action for the third time moments after the field had completed Lap 62. Brad Sweet spun off the front bumper of Mike Wallace’s Chevrolet and slammed nose-first into the outside wall.

Josh Richards’ spin on Lap 81 caused the fourth caution, providing the opportunity for fuel stops inside the window to the finish.

Richards will compete in the 2012 NNS with partner Joy Global. The US based mining manufacture returns to NASCAR following their support in 2011 when the Shinnston, W. Va. native entered the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS).

Richards’ Ford Mustang will also show support for the Naval Special Warfare Kids (NSW Kids), showcasing their logo on his car to bring attention to a charity started by a Mooresville, N.C. family. Richards and NSW Kids partnered for the first time in 2011 at Martinsville Speedway.

“I’m excited to have Joy behind me again this year. Having a great partner that represents the coal industry, something that is so close to my family and where I grew up, is important to me,” said Richards. “I am really ready to get back on track. I’m glad I get to start my NNS career at Talladega. I had a good run in the truck last year and am looking forward to getting out there in the Joy Mustang this week.”

“We are excited to be teaming up with Josh again this year,” said Chuck Fickter, Marketing Information Manager, Joy Global. “Josh did tremendous job last year in the truck series representing Joy and creating a lot of excitement with employees and customers alike. With the step up to the NASCAR Nationwide Series we feel this will only increase the excitement.”

This will not be Richards first time at the 2.66-mile tri-oval; he competed in eight NCWTS races in 2011 including the event at Talladega. Richards started that event 22nd and finished 13th, running as high as third during the 94 lap contest.

The two-time World of Outlaw Late Model Series (WoO LMS) champion was notably absent from the series’ two events last weekend. It was the first time, in 287 consecutive races, going back to 2004, that the 24 year-old was not in a WoO LMS event and only the second time since 2004 he was not in the driver’s seat of the No. 1 Rocket. Richards instead with at Richmond International Raceway with his new team, preparing for Saturdays NNS race at Talladega.

Though NASCAR fined a total of six crew chiefs — three each from Richard Childress Racing and Turner Motorsports — and placed them on probation, along with their car chiefs, the sanctioning body did not impose fines or suspensions for the non-conforming upper front bumper covers NASCAR confiscated last Thursday at Richmond International Raceway.

RCR crew chiefs Luke Lambert (No. 2, driven by Sadler), Danny Stockman (No. 3, Austin Dillon) and Ernie Cope, (No. 33, driven by Kevin Harvick at Richmond) and Turner crew chiefs Trent Owens (No. 30, James Buescher), Jimmy Elledge (No. 31, Justin Allgaier) and Mike Shiplett (No. 38, driven by Kasey Kahne at Richmond) were fined $10,000 each and placed on probation through Dec. 31.

In addition, car chiefs Phil Gould (No. 2), Robert Strmiska (No. 3), Paul Balmer (No. 33), Shannon Rursch (No. 30), Ronald Hornaday III (No. 31) and Christopher Meyers (No. 38) have been placed on NASCAR probation for the remainder of the year.

Sadler retains his series lead, by two points over defending champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and will have his crew intact at the racetrack — albeit walking the straight and narrow until the probation expires.

“I was more worried about suspensions and stuff like that,” Sadler told hosts Dave Moody and Angie Skinner on Tuesday afternoon on “SiriusXM Speedway.” “I think it’s very fair as far as probation is concerned, because Nationwide teams — we don’t have the depth at all that (Sprint) Cup teams have.

“So I was really worried about the suspension part of it more than anything.”

The upper front bumper covers are certified parts and may not be modified in any way without prior approval by NASCAR. No such approval was sought or given in the case of the RCR and Turner cars.

There are obvious parallels between the RCR and Turner infractions and the C-post violations NASCAR found on the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet of Jimmie Johnson before the season-opening Daytona 500. All violations involved areas of the cars not covered by templates.

According to the teams, cars with identical modifications had passed inspection on at least two prior occasions and had competed on the racetrack. Sadler said his car already had received a sticker at Richmond — indicating it had passed inspection — but the team later was told to replace the bumper covers in question because the car flunked what Sadler called the “eye test.”

Nevertheless, in the case of the No. 48, NASCAR fined crew chief Chad Knaus $100,000, suspended Knaus and car chief Ron Malec for six races and placed both on probation and docked Johnson and owner-of-record Jeff Gordon 25 points each.

All but the fine and probations were vacated on appeal to NASCAR’s chief appellate officer, John Middlebrook. In the cases of RCR and Turner, the penalties announced Tuesday are consistent with the post-appeal sanctions to the No. 48 team.

RICHMOND, Va. — By the thinnest of margins, in a breathtaking finish that featured two cars sideways and side-by-side at the finish line, Kurt Busch beat Denny Hamlin to the checkered flag by .062 seconds to win Friday night’s Virginia 529 College Savings 250 at Richmond International Raceway.

Busch delivered the first-ever NASCAR Nationwide Series victory to the team owned by his brother, Kyle Busch. The win was Busch’s fourth in the series and his first on a short track. Hamlin came up two feet short after a phenomenal drive from the rear of the field after a pit road mistake.

Pole-sitter Kevin Harvick ran third, followed by defending series champion Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Sam Hornish Jr. Elliott Sadler finished sixth to cling to the series points lead by two points over Stenhouse.

“To get KBM (Kyle Busch Motorsports) its first win — this is unbelievable,” Kurt Busch said in Victory Lane. “It’s harder than you think, putting a program together. You think you can come in here and muscle your way to the top, but you have to think your way to the top.”

Busch parted ways with Penske Racing at the end of last season and took a Sprint Cup job with James Finch’s Phoenix Racing this year. He and Kyle are sharing driving duties in the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota in the start-up Nationwide program.

“It was unbelievable racing with him,” Busch said. “I was pacing myself and pacing myself, and — boom! — he came out of nowhere at the end.”

For Kyle Busch, it was difficult to contain the excitement of the first victory with his own equipment.

“This is the most emotional I’ve ever been for a win,” said Kyle, himself a prolific past winner in the No. 18 Toyota that Hamlin drove Saturday night. “Man, this is cool. When you’re behind the wheel, it’s a lot easier to do. When you’re standing here watching the guy behind you close in on you . . . Kurt ran him really tough, and then Denny ran us clean.”

In a race dominated by Sprint Cup drivers Busch, Hamlin and Harvick — and featuring the relentlessly promoted Nationwide debut of X-Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana — the most noteworthy story was the spectacular maiden voyage of 18-year-old Ryan Blaney, who finished seventh in his series debut.

Hurt by three slow pit stops, the last under green, Blaney otherwise would have been a likely contender for the victory in his first Nationwide race.
Hamlin likewise was a victim of a pit road mistake, but one of his own making.

Hamlin missed his pit stall under caution on Lap 117, restarted 24th on Lap 125 and drove up to the third position before pitting under the green flag on Lap 208.

Second soon after the cycle of pit stops, Hamlin harried Busch until the end of the race but ran out of time. Hamlin said he could have moved Busch on the final lap but preferred to have the race decided fairly.

“I could have moved him up and gotten him out of the groove, and it would have been over with,” Hamlin said. “But Kyle’s a teammate (at Joe Gibbs Racing) and (KBM general manager) Rick Ren and those guys have built a great program, so I wanted it to be fair.

“He won fair and square, and (I was) just one lap too late.”

Despite a pit road speeding penalty, Pastrana ran 22nd in his ballyhooed Nationwide debut. Danica Patrick came home 21st.

RACE RESULTS
1. (10) Kurt Busch, Toyota, 250, $40,100.
2. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 250, $26,900.
3. (1) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 250, $27,075.
4. (6) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 250, $26,418.
5. (12) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 250, $23,043.
6. (7) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 250, $25,043.
7. (8) Ryan Blaney, Chevrolet, 250, $15,460.
8. (19) Michael Annett, Ford, 250, $21,838.
9. (3) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 250, $22,343.
10. (5) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 250, $15,825.
11. (11) Steve Wallace, Ford, 250, $20,868.
12. (21) James Buescher, Chevrolet, 249, $20,768.
13. (17) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 249, $20,668.
14. (15) Brian Scott, Toyota, 249, $23,218.
15. (13) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 249, $21,118.
16. (9) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 249, $14,200.
17. (20) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 249, $20,668.
18. (14) Joey Logano, Toyota, 249, $13,700.
19. (4) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 248, $20,093.
20. (24) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, 248, $20,718.
21. (16) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 248, $19,993.
22. (25) Travis Pastrana, Toyota, 248, $13,450.
23. (18) Casey Roderick, Ford, 247, $19,843.
24. (26) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 247, $19,793.
25. (27) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, 246, $20,193.
26. (33) Timmy Hill, Ford, 245, $19,668.
27. (40) Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet, 245, $13,150.
28. (43) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, 244, $19,543.
29. (31) Tanner Berryhill, Chevrolet, 244, $19,493.
30. (28) Jason Bowles, Toyota, 243, $19,743.
31. (34) Eric McClure, Toyota, 243, $19,388.
32. (38) Matt Frahm, Ford, 243, $12,860.
33. (29) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 229, $19,293.
34. (37) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, 162, $19,183.
35. (30) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, Clutch, 145, $19,153.
36. (32) Morgan Shepherd, Chevrolet, Handling, 90, $12,650.
37. (22) JJ Yeley, Toyota, Accident, 66, $12,590.
38. (23) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Suspension, 12, $12,536.
39. (42) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Vibration, 10, $12,420.
40. (36) Scott Speed, Chevrolet, Electrical, 9, $12,380.
41. (39) Mike Harmon, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 7, $12,340.
42. (35) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Clutch, 7, $12,285.
43. (41) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $12,224.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 104.07 mph.
Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 48 Mins, 06 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 0.062 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 3 for 20 laps.
Lead Changes: 13 among 6 drivers.
Lap Leaders: K. Harvick 0; D. Hamlin 1; K. Harvick 2-70; M. Shepherd 71-73; K. Harvick 74-76; K. Busch 77-79; K. Harvick 80-117; D. Hamlin 118; K. Harvick 119-166; K. Busch 167-202; D. Hamlin 203-206; M. Annett 207-208; J. Logano 209-221; K. Busch 222-250.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): K. Harvick 4 times for 158 laps; K. Busch 3 times for 68 laps; J. Logano 1 time for 13 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 6 laps; M. Shepherd 1 time for 3 laps; M. Annett 1 time for 2 laps.
Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler – 285; R. Stenhouse Jr. – 283; A. Dillon – 262; S. Hornish Jr. – 232; M. Annett – 220; C. Whitt – 207; J. Allgaier – 192; T. Malsam – 182; T. Bayne – 180; M. Bliss – 174.

Introduced in 2009, “Dash 4 Cash” (Twitter hash tag: #Dash4Cash) is a one-of-a-kind element that rewards the highest-finishing eligible driver in four designated races with a $100,000 bonus above and beyond the race purse. Fans also can participate via a sweepstakes that culminates with one lucky fan also winning $100,000.

Its basic format hasn’t changed: In four select races during the 2012 season, four drivers who have earned the designation to compete for the $100,000 per-race bonus will “have at it.” As a refresher, the “Dash 4 Cash” winner in the designated races does not have to win the race. He or she simply must be the highest-finishing eligible NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship contender in those designated races.

There are two key revisions. First, the July 6 race at Daytona International Speedway will serve as the “qualifier” where the top four drivers to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship points in that race will carry the “Dash 4 Cash” designation in the first race of the bonus program, July 14 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Additionally, for the first time, the four “Dash 4 Cash” races will be successive: The July race at New Hampshire followed by the July 22 race at Chicagoland Speedway, the series’ inaugural event on July 28 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and culminating at the Aug. 4 race at Iowa Speedway.

Driver eligibility is as follows:

• New Hampshire Motor Speedway (July 14) – Top four drivers to receive NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) championship driver points at Daytona qualify for New Hampshire.
• Chicagoland Speedway (July 22) – New Hampshire “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.
• Indianapolis Motor Speedway (July 28) – Chicagoland “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.
• Iowa Speedway (Aug. 4) — Indianapolis “Dash 4 Cash” winner plus top three finishing drivers to receive NNS championship driver points.

Another returning perk: Should one driver collect the “Dash 4 Cash” bonus from the three previous designated races and win the Iowa Speedway race outright, Nationwide Insurance will pay an additional $600,000 to that driver in Victory Lane, making $1 million in total bonus money up for grabs at the onset of the program.

“We’re looking forward to partnering with Nationwide Insurance for another round of the ‘Dash 4 Cash’ program,” said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR senior vice president of racing operations. “Since its inception, ‘Dash 4 Cash’ has brought increased notoriety to the drivers, teams and participating tracks in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

“We believe the $100,000 guaranteed winner for the select ‘Dash 4 Cash’ races will continue to elevate the series. Additionally, the condensed schedule will help our fans follow the exciting storylines and finishes we anticipate with the 2012 program.”

“Offering a $1 million bonus opportunity for NASCAR Nationwide Series teams brings another level of intensity to the race track and more attention to our series,” said Jim McCoy, director of strategic partnerships for Nationwide Insurance. “There’s a very good chance a driver could get hot and take home the million dollar bonus at the dramatic conclusion of our ‘Dash 4 Cash’ series at Iowa Speedway, where Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won both races in 2011.”

The program isn’t just for the drivers. Since the fans drive the sport, they’re encouraged to participate as well by visiting www.NASCAR.COM/dash4cash to register for a chance to win $100,000.

As part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series $100,000 Sweepstakes, four lucky fans and a guest of each will win an all-expense paid trip to the final “Dash 4 Cash” race at Iowa. In addition to a VIP experience, those fans will be randomly paired with the four eligible “Dash 4 Cash” drivers for the final bonus program race at Iowa. The fan whose driver wins that “Dash 4 Cash” award also will receive a check for $100,000.

FORT WORTH, Texas — Streaking away from Denny Hamlin and pole-sitter Paul Menard after a restart with six laps left, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won Friday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 Nationwide Series race at Texas Motor Speedway.

The victory was the defending series champion’s second in six starts this season and the fourth of his career. It was also the fourth straight Nationwide win at Texas for Roush Fenway Racing,

Menard finished second, with Kasey Kahne passing Hamlin for third in the closing laps. Austin Dillon ran fifth, and series points leader Elliott Sadler faded to 12th during the final short run and saw his margin over Stenhouse shrink to four points.

Danica Patrick came home eighth, taking advantage of fresh tires acquired during a pit stop under the final caution. Patrick restarted 13th on Lap 195 of 200 and gained five positions before the end of the race.

“I loved coming here, and we finally finished off a race,” said Stenhouse, who promised a traditional cowboy hat that goes to the victor to every member of his team. “I felt a lot better coming into this year, obviously, with the championship from last year, but one thing that I do enjoy about this is that we’re running up front every week.

“We have a shot to win every week, and that’s all we can do, and when we can finish it off like that, it’s a positive.”

Patrick posted her top Nationwide result since a career-best fourth at Las Vegas in March of last year.

“It’s always quite chaotic when you have such great tires along with everyone around you,” Patrick said. “It’s two-wide — and you want to get by them. But, all in all, it’s nice to have a good finish for the team, for GoDaddy, for everybody that works really hard. We’ve kind of had a tough going to the start of the year, so that was fun.”

The middle third of the event featured scintillating racing that mirrored the action from Fontana, Calif., three weeks earlier. Menard started fifth on a restart on Lap 104 but quickly regained the lead, after Blake Koch’s No. 15 Chevrolet bounced off the inside wall on the backstretch to cause the third caution.

Throughout the ensuing green-flag run, Menard kept Stenhouse at bay, with the margin fluctuating between .2 and 1.5 seconds. On Lap 143, Sadler passed Stenhouse for the second position but couldn’t gain ground on Menard, as the lead-lap cars began a round of green-flag pit stops.

After the pit stops cycled through, Menard held a 2.188-second lead over Stenhouse, who surged past Sadler for the second spot on Lap 151. Menard maintained an advantage of more than two seconds until the caution flag flew for the fourth time on Lap 162, when track lighting failed on the inside of the backstretch for the second time Friday night.

Dillon and David Ragan stayed on the track under the yellow, while the rest of the leap-lap cars came to the pits for tires and fuel. NASCAR red-flagged the race after Lap 169 as track workers replaced the faulty breaker that proved to be the source of the light failure.

After the race restarted on Lap 173, Stenhouse blew past Dillon into the lead on Lap 177, with Menard in pursuit. Stenhouse stretched the margin to more than a second before the engine blew in Kurt Busch’s No. 54 Toyota on Lap 187, necessitating the fifth caution of the evening.

RACE RESULTS

1. (3) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford, 200, $83,843.
2. (1) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 200, $56,525.
3. (8) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 200, $36,825.
4. (2) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 200, $32,115.
5. (4) Austin Dillon, Chevrolet, 200, $37,758.
6. (30) David Ragan, Ford, 200, $24,015.
7. (16) Justin Allgaier, Chevrolet, 200, $28,433.
8. (17) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, 200, $29,658.
9. (18) Michael Annett, Ford, 200, $26,768.
10. (9) Steve Arpin, Chevrolet, 200, $27,383.
11. (14) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 200, $25,908.
12. (5) Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet, 200, $25,658.
13. (7) Cole Whitt, Chevrolet, 200, $25,408.
14. (20) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 200, $18,580.
15. (12) Joey Logano, Toyota, 200, $18,745.
16. (10) Mike Bliss, Toyota, 199, $25,028.
17. (33) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, 199, $24,218.
18. (23) Jason Bowles, Toyota, 199, $24,033.
19. (24) Mike Wallace, Chevrolet, 198, $23,698.
20. (15) Johanna Long, Chevrolet, 197, $24,263.
21. (21) Kyle Fowler, Ford, 196, $23,478.
22. (31) Kelly Bires, Ford, 196, $16,900.
23. (27) Erik Darnell, Chevrolet, 196, $23,208.
24. (42) Eric McClure, Toyota, 192, $23,093.
25. (28) Tayler Malsam, Toyota, 192, $23,433.
26. (40) TJ Bell, Chevrolet, 192, $16,380.
27. (38) Tim Schendel, Chevrolet, 192, $16,270.
28. (26) Timmy Hill, Ford, 191, $22,618.
29. (37) Jeremy Clements, Chevrolet, 188, $22,443.
30. (6) Kurt Busch, Toyota, Engine, 187, $16,165.
31. (25) Danny Efland, Chevrolet, 187, $22,223.
32. (19) Ryan Truex, Toyota, Engine, 182, $22,113.
33. (41) Benny Gordon, Chevrolet, 175, $22,003.
34. (39) Robert Richardson Jr., Chevrolet, 169, $21,893.
35. (13) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 159, $15,315.
36. (29) Blake Koch, Chevrolet, Accident, 92, $15,205.
37. (11) Brian Scott, Toyota, Engine, 61, $21,553.
38. (34) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Rear Gear, 9, $15,050.
39. (36) Chase Miller, Chevrolet, Vibration, 8, $14,790.
40. (32) Josh Wise, Chevrolet, Electrical, 7, $14,755.
41. (35) Scott Speed, Chevrolet, Fuel Pump, 7, $14,720.
42. (43) Kevin Lepage, Chevrolet, Ignition, 4, $14,660.
43. (22) Jeff Green, Toyota, Vibration, 3, $14,609.

Average Speed of Race Winner: 126.301 mph.
Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 22 Mins, 31 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.434 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 5 for 33 laps.
Lead Changes: 14 among 7 drivers.
Lap Leaders: P. Menard 1-3; R. Stenhouse Jr. 4-48; P. Menard 49-52; K. Kahne 53; P. Menard 54-94; D. Hamlin 95-103; E. Sadler 104-107; P. Menard 108-146; D. Hamlin 147-148; D. Ragan 149-150; P. Menard 151-163; A. Dillon 164-176; R. Stenhouse Jr. 177-194; D. Hamlin 195; R. Stenhouse Jr. 196-200.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): P. Menard 5 times for 100 laps; R. Stenhouse Jr. 3 times for 68 laps; A. Dillon 1 time for 13 laps; D. Hamlin 3 times for 12 laps; E. Sadler 1 time for 4 laps; D. Ragan 1 time for 2 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 10 in Points: E. Sadler – 247; R. Stenhouse Jr. – 243; A. Dillon – 227; S. Hornish Jr. – 193; M. Annett – 183; C. Whitt – 182; T. Bayne – 180; T. Malsam – 163; J. Allgaier – 163; M. Bliss – 147.