Racing News Daily » Entries tagged with "Darlington Raceway"
NASCAR slaps Busch, Harvick with penalties
By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick found out Tuesday the limits to NASCAR’s mantra, “Boys, have at it, and have a good time.” The fun stops when it endangers people on pit road. The sanctioning body fined Busch and Harvick $25,000 each and placed the drivers on probation for the next four Sprint Cup points events (Dover, Charlotte, Kansas and Pocono), through June 15. The penalties address a confrontation between the drivers on pit road after the race and not their actions on the racetrack. After a restart on Lap 363, Harvick’s No. 29 Chevrolet and Busch’s No. 18 Toyota made contact several times. Exiting Turn 4, Harvick’s car bounced off Busch’s and into the Chevy of Harvick’s Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, who slammed into the inside … Read entire article »
Filed under: NASCAR
Euphoria of Smith’s win aside, NASCAR has much to ponder
By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C.—In the afterglow of Regan Smith’s feel-good victory at Darlington, NASCAR has a lot of nastiness to discuss. For the record, Smith, who drives for Colorado-based Furniture Row Racing, pulled off a feat most had considered impossible with two laps left in Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500. On old tires, he held off Carl Edwards, one of the hardest chargers in NASCAR racing, to record his first Sprint Cup victory. Smith is the fifth driver for a single-car team to win a Cup race since 2000, but he’s the second this year. Trevor Bayne was the surprise winner of the Daytona 500 in his second start in the series, but Smith’s victory may be every bit as popular. It also represents the meting out of cosmic … Read entire article »
Filed under: NASCAR
Regan Smith pulls off upset at Darlington
By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C.—Nearly three years after a NASCAR ruling denied him his first Sprint Cup victory, Regan Smith finally got the elusive win. After staying out on old tires, Smith held off Carl Edwards to win Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in a dramatic green-white-checkered-flag finish. Smith crossed the finish line 0.196 seconds ahead of runner-up Edwards. Moments later, tempers flared between drivers Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick and their crews in the aftermath of a wild wreck that brought out the final caution of the race. “This is the Southern 500—we’re not supposed to win this thing,” an incredulous Smith radioed to his crew after the race. Brad Keselowski, also on old tires, finished third, with polesitter Kasey Kahne running fourth and Ryan Newman fifth. The … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Kahne wins Darlington pole with record lap
By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C.—With a lightning-fast lap at track-record speed, Kasey Kahne won the pole for Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. Touring the 1.366-mile circuit at 181.254 mph (27.131 seconds), Kahne shattered the qualifying record of 180.370 mph set last year by Jamie McMurray. The Coors Light Pole Award was Kahne’s first of the season and the 21st of his NASCAR Sprint Cup career. Ryan Newman qualified second at 180.429 mph, followed by Denny Hamlin (180.132 mph), Carl Edwards (179.980 mph) and seven-time Darlington winner Jeff Gordon (179.829 mph). Marcos Ambrose, AJ Allmendinger, Brian Vickers, Tony Stewart and Brad Keselowski will start from positions 6-10, respectively. Starting from the pole is nothing new to Kahne, who qualified first at Darlington in three of his first four … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Darlington victory puts Kyle Busch one behind Martin on Nationwide list
By Reid Spencer Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service DARLINGTON, S.C.—One to go. With a convincing victory in Friday night’s Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway, Kyle Busch scored his fifth Nationwide Series win of the season and the 48th of his career, leaving him one behind Mark Martin for the career victory lead in the series. Busch beat Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin to the finish line by 3.677 seconds. Elliott Sadler was third, followed by Nationwide points leader Justin Allgaier and Steve Wallace. “Being within one of Mark’s win record — it’s special,” Busch said. “We’ll see when it happens, if it happens. Maybe some of you say it’s inevitable, but we just keep working our guts out and making sure we bring good racecars to the racetrack. “I’m racing Dover (next week), and … Read entire article »
Filed under: Nationwide Series
Jeff Gordon Friday Darlington Media Visit Transcript
JEFF GORDON met with members of the media at Darlington Raceway and discussed Drive To End Hunger initiative, Safer Barriers, aggressive driving, racing at Darlington and other topics. Full transcript: TALK ABOUT THE INITIATIVE THIS WEEK IN YOUR DRIVE TO END HUNGER PROGRAM WITH DARLINGTON RACEWAY AND ISC: “The Drive To End Hunger and the AARP Foundation when they launched this program in January, there was a lot of buzz, a lot of excitement. But, I don’t think any of us knew how fast and strong of a reception this program would get and how much impact they would make on those millions of people. Through commitments like ISC (International Speedway Corporation) and others that have been going on already so far this year, the momentum continues to build with donations, … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Trevor Bayne Released from Mayo Clinic
CONCORD, N.C. – Roush Fenway Racing’s Trevor Bayne has been released from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. after being admitted last week for testing and evaluation. The 20-year old Daytona 500 winner will continue to be monitored closely by the Mayo Clinic team. He is expected to return to his NASCAR racing duties with both Roush Fenway Racing in the Nationwide Series and the Wood Brothers in the Sprint Cup Series this season. He will not, however, be in the No. 16 Roush Fenway Nationwide Series entry this weekend at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. No timeframe has been set for Bayne’s return at this point. “Trevor Bayne was seen by a team of Mayo Clinic specialists where he underwent a series of tests and consultations over the last week,” … Read entire article »
Filed under: Nationwide Series
Gilliland Learning to Love ‘Lady in Black’
Statesville, N.C. – As the No. 34 Taco Bell Ford team continues to push and progress, David Gilliland and his crew now face one of the biggest challenges on the Sprint Cup Series schedule: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. The team is up to the task after a top-25 run last week at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway – a race in which Gilliland said they made great strides in their short-track program. Gilliland will have one of his biggest fans on the pit box for Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500. His mother will come to Darlington, from his home state of California, for NASCAR’s annual Mother’s Day festivities at the 1.366-mile oval. She will accompany her son to driver introductions and will join other NASCAR moms in giving the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
Newman Boldly Tackling the ‘Track Too Tough to Tame’
KANNAPOLIS, N.C. – Perhaps there is no better time for Ryan Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet Impala to carry the tagline “Bold is How We Roll” than at this weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. For if Newman and his No. 39 Tornados team want to tackle, tame and claim victory at the infamous 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval, both driver and crew members know that each will have to be at the top of his game. In fact, it will take bold moves from the driver on the racetrack, gutsy calls by the crew chief and intrepid work on pit road by the crew to be successful at the “Track Too Tough to Tame.” Not only is Darlington one of the … Read entire article »
Filed under: Sprint Cup
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