Harvick Wins at Richmond

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Kevin Harvick has been facing questions all season as to whether this would be a lame-duck season for the driver of the No. 29 car.  Harvick will be moving over to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2014, but he showed everyone Saturday night that he still has some winning left to do at Richard Childress Racing after he won the Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway.

Harvick celebrates his victory at Richmond (Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

Matt Kenseth won the pole for the Toyota Owners 400, and he was able to beat Brian Vickers out of Turn 2 to take the lead.   Kenseth led until lap 37, when Clint Bowyer caught him in lapped traffic to take the lead.  The caution came out on lap 40 for a spin by Josh Wise.  Under the caution, the leaders made pit stops, and Kenseth was able to beat Bowyer off pit road to regain the lead.

 
The restart came on lap 47, and Kenseth was able to beat Bowyer through Turn 1 to take the lead.  Halfway through the run, Kenseth began to complain about something that may have broken in the rear-end housing, but he was able to continue without any more problems.
 
On lap 110, the caution came out for Marcos Ambrose.  Ambrose was experiencing engine issues, and he coasted to pit road.  The leaders came down pit road, and Bowyer and Vickers were able to beat Kenseth out of the pits.
 
The race restarted on lap 116, and Bowyer was able to jump out ahead of Vickers for the lead.  Kenseth was able to take second place away from Vickers.
 
The third caution of the day came out on lap 147 for debris.  The field came down pit road, and Bowyer won the race off.  
 
Bowyer led the field back to the green flag on lap 154.  Kenseth spun his tires on the restart, and Bowyer was able to get the lead going into Turn 1. 
 
The caution came back out on lap 157 for Brad Keselowski, who blew a right-front tire going into Turn 1.  Under the caution, one of the track's sprinklers started going off, causing the caution to go longer than anticipated.
 
Bowyer led the field back to the green on lap 158, and he was able to clear Kenseth for the lead coming out of Turn 2.  On lap 219, Kenseth was able to work his way around Bowyer for the lead.  Bowyer lost the handling on his car, and he quickly dropped to fifth place.
 
On lap 232, Greg Biffle brought out the caution when he spun down the frontstretch after getting loose off Turn 4.  The field came down to pit, and Kenseth was able to beat Kurt Busch off pit road.
 
Kenseth led the field to the green flag on lap 240,  and he was able to clear Kurt Busch coming off Turn 2.  After racing side-by-side, Kyle Busch was able to take second away from his brother.
 
On lap 254, Kyle Busch was able to pass Kenseth for the lead after following closely behind for a handful of laps. 
 
The caution came out on lap 293 after Travis Kvapil got into the wall.  The field came down pit road, and Kurt Busch was able to beat Kyle Busch off pit road for the lead. 
 
The race restarted on lap 297, and Kurt Busch was able to get a good run into Turn 1 to take the lead.  Kurt brought Carl Edwards with him, and Edwards took second away from Kyle Busch. 
 
Edwards got alongside Kurt Busch for the lead, but he wasn't able to complete the pass.  On lap 309, Kvapil blew his engine, and his car briefly caught on fire.  Under the caution, Kurt Busch, Edwards, and Kenseth stayed out while the rest of the field came down to make pit stops. 
 
Kyle Busch was penalized for a pit line violation, and he had to go to the back of the pack.  He was set to restart 28th, but after review, NASCAR said he was legal, and they rescinded the penalty.  Busch was able to restart sixth.
 
On lap 320, Kurt Busch was able to beat Edwards through Turn 1 to take the lead on the restart.  Kyle Busch quickly began falling back through the pack, and he ran into the back of Jimmie Johnson, pushing in the front of Busch's car. 
 

Johnson (48) and Stewart (14) spin (Patrick Smith/Getty Images)

On lap 327, the caution came out for a spin between Tony Stewart and Johnson.  As Johnson spun down the racetrack, Kyle Busch got into the front of Johnson's car.  Under the caution, the field came down pit road, and Kurt Busch was able to win the race off. 
 
The green flag came back out on lap 333, and the first six cars stayed out, and Juan Pablo Montoya was the leader.  He and Harvick raced side-by-side for a lap, but Montoya was able to win the race for the lead. 
 
On lap 338, Kasey Kahne got into Mark Martin coming off Turn 2, and they both spun, bringing out the caution.  As Martin's car spun down the track, Vickers made hard contact with Martin's car. 
 
The race restarted on lap 343, and Montoya was able to beat Martin Truex Jr. down into Turn 1 for the lead.  The caution came back out on lap 345 after Kurt Busch spun Truex going into Turn 3. 
 
The race restarted with 51 laps to go, and Montoya was able to clear Kurt Busch for the lead.  With 19 laps to go, Harvick was able to get around Busch for second place going into Turn 1.  With only 6 laps to go, Vickers got into the outside wall to bring out the caution, pushing the race to a green-white-checkered finish.
 
Jeff Burton stayed out under the caution, and he was able to beat everyone into Turn 1.  Coming out of Turn 4, Harvick was able to pass his teammate for the lead.  Bowyer got around Burton for second, but he wasn't able to catch Harvick.  
 
After the race, Kurt Busch got together with Matt Kenseth and Tony Stewart.  On the restart, Busch got into Stewart, sending Stewart out of the groove and it caused Stewart to lose a lot of spots.  Coming to the checkered flag, Kenseth gave Busch a bump, causing Busch to lose 2 spots coming to the finish. 

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Kevin Harvick

2. Clint Bowyer

3. Joey Logano

4. Juan Pablo Montoya

5. Jeff Burton

6. Carl Edwards

7. Matt Kenseth

8. Aric Almirola

9. Kurt Busch

10. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

11. Jeff Gordon

12. Jimmie Johnson

13. Paul Menard

14. AJ Allmendinger

15. Ryan Newman

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. Martin Truex Jr.

18. Tony Stewart

19. Bobby Labonte

20. David Ragan

21. Kasey Kahne

22. David Reutimann

23. Dave Blaney

24. Kyle Busch

25. Landon Cassill

26. Jamie McMurray

27. David Gilliland

28. Josh Wise

29. Danica Patrick

30. Casey Mears

31. David Stremme

32. J.J. Yeley

33. Brad Keselowski

34. Timmy Hill

35. Brian Vickers

36. Greg Biffle

37. Travis Kvapil

38. Mark Martin

39. Joe Nemechek

40. Brian Keselowski

41. Michael McDowell

42. Marcos Ambrose

43. Mike Bliss

Kevin Harvick showed everyone Saturday night that he was not going to end his time at Richard Childress Racing quietly.  He will lead everyone to NASCAR's largest track, Talladega Superspeedway.  The Aaron's 499 promises to be an exciting race, with what is most likely to be an exciting finish.  The race can be seen next Sunday at 1 p.m., only on FOX.

Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images

Kenseth Cruises to Victory at Kansas

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Earlier in the season, Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne had a hard race for the win at Las Vegas.  In that race, Kenseth was able to hold off Kahne to win his first race of the season.  At Kansas, Kenseth started on the pole and dominated the race all day.  But at the end of the day, he had to hold off another hard charge from Kahne in the final laps.  Once again, Kenseth was able to hold off Kahne to take his second victory of the year.

Kenseth celebrates at Kansas (Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

Kenseth won the pole for the STP Gas Booster 400, and he led the field to the green flag.  Kenseth was able to get ahead of Carl Edwards for the lead after electing to start on the outside line.  On lap 5, Kyle Busch spun coming out of Turn 2 to bring out the first caution.

Kenseth was able to take the lead when the race restarted on lap 9.  As the field was coming to the green, Brad Keselowski was on pit road with a fuel pick-up issue.  Keselowski was able to get off pit road right before the field took the green flag.

Kurt Busch brought his car down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop after complaining about a vibration in the right front.  Busch's team realized that he had a loose wheel from the beginning of the race.  

Busch needed the race to cycle through green-flag pit stops so that he could get his lap back, but on lap 38, Dave Blaney blew a right-front tire to bring out the second caution of the day.

Kenseth brought the field down pit road under the caution, and he was able to win the race off pit road to stay in the lead.  

Kenseth was able pull ahead of Mark Martin when the race restarted on lap 44.  Martin only took two tires under the caution, and he quickly backed up through the field.  He finally settled back in 11th.

On lap 72, the caution came out for debris.  Kenseth once again won the race off pit road after leading everyone down to make another round of pit stops.  

The green flag came back out on lap 77, and Kenseth was able to take the lead going into Turn 1.  Kenseth led the race until the caution on lap 86, when Elliot Sadler got loose and spun up into the outside wall.  Under the caution, most of the leaders stayed out.

The race restarted on lap 91, and the field fanned out 4-wide for the lead, but Kenseth was able to beat them all off Turn 2 to keep the lead.  

The caution came out on lap 104 for a big crash between Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.  Busch got loose in Turn 3 and spun in the corner.  Busch spun down the track, and his car was slammed into by Logano who had gone low to try and avoid the wreck.  

Busch takes his wrecked car to the garage (Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

After an extended cleanup, the pits were finally opened and Kenseth brought the field down pit road.  Kenseth won the race off pit road, but four cars stayed out under the caution.

Martin Truex Jr. got a push from Keselowski to take the lead on the restart.  Mark Martin restarted in third, and he almost spun Jamie McMurray when McMurray went down to try and block Martin.  McMurray ended up back at the end of the field, and Martin fell all the way to 15th.

On lap 146, McMurray, Keselowski, and Martin made green-flag pit stops.  Truex gave up the lead on lap 147 to make his pit stop.  They didn't pit under the last caution, so they had to pit before everyone else did.

Truex's pit stop handed the lead over to Jimmie Johnson.  Kenseth started fighting with Johnson for the lead, but Kenseth pitted on lap 156 to make his green-flag pit stop, and Johnson pitted on lap 157 for four tires and fuel.  After stops had cycled around, Truex was leading Johnson once again.

On lap 173, Brian Vickers spun coming off Turn 2.  The field came down pit road, and Johnson was able to win the race off pit road.

Carl Edwards stayed out under the caution, and he was the leader when the race restarted on lap 178.  Edwards had to hold off a hard charge from teammate Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on the restart, but he was able to lead until the caution came out again on lap 181.  Marcos Ambrose got loose coming out of Turn 2, and he spun.  Sam Hornish Jr. made contact with Ambrose while he was sideways, and it caused Hornish to get into Casey Mears.

The race restarted on lap 186, and Edwards was able to grab the lead again.  On lap 190, Stenhouse and Kenseth both passed Edwards for first and second.  

With 50 laps to go, amid green-flag pit stops, the caution came out for debris that flew off of Keselowski's car.  Most of the leaders came down pit road, and Kenseth was able to beat Truex off pit road. 

 

The race restarted on lap 224, and Kenseth was able to use the high side to get ahead of Truex heading into Turn 1.  With about 15 laps to go, Kasey Kahne started closing on Kenseth, and it seemed that the race was destined to be a repeat of Las Vegas.  At Vegas, Kenseth beat Kahne after outrunning him over the final laps.  

Kenseth began running into some lapped traffic, and that allowed Kahne to get to Kenseth's back bumper.  Kahne closed with two laps to go, but Kenseth was able to hold him off to win his second race of the season.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Matt Kenseth

2. Kasey Kahne

3. Jimmie Johnson

4. Martin Truex Jr.

5. Clint Bowyer

6. Brad Keselowski

7. Jamie McMurray

8. Aric Almirola

9. Mark Martin

10. Paul Menard

11. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

12. Kevin Harvick

13. Jeff Gordon

14. Ryan Newman

15. Kurt Busch

16. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

17. Carl Edwards

18. Jeff Burton

19. Greg Biffle

20. Marcos Ambrose

21. Tony Stewart

22. Regan Smith

23. David Gilliland

24. Bobby Labonte

25. Danica Patrick

26. Josh Wise

27. Juan Pablo Montoya

28. David Reutimann

29. Landon Cassill

30. David Ragan

31. Brian Vickers

32. David Stremme

33. Timmy Hill

34. Casey Mears

35. J.J. Yeley

36. Travis Kvapil

37. Sam Hornish Jr.

38. Kyle Busch

39. Joey Logano

40. Elliot Sadler

41. Mike Bliss

42. Michael McDowell

43. Dave Blaney

Matt Kenseth took the same car to Kansas that he won with at Las Vegas.  He once again had a strong run, and he was able to lead 163 of 267 laps on his way to his 26th career victory.  He looks to take his momentum to Richmond next Saturday night.  The race may also be the return of Denny Hamlin, who hopes to return to the No. 11 in his home state of Virginia.  The Toyota Owners 400 can be seen Saturday at 7:30 p.m., only on FOX.

Chris Trotman/Getty Images

Busch Sweeps Texas

Originally written for CLNS Radio.
 

Kasey Kahne, Ned Jarrett, Rusty Wallace.  Those three drivers all won in their 300th career Sprint Cup Series start.  Kyle Busch joined that group on Saturday night, outrunning Martin Truex Jr. and winning the NRA 500.

 

Busch celebrates at Texas (Todd Warsaw/Getty Images)

The excitement began before the race even started.  Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski had a rear-end problem in inspection, and they had to make changes to the car.  Logano was late getting onto the grid, and the field had begun pulling onto the track by the time Logano made it to pit road.  Because of this, Logano joined Kevin Harvick -- who changed an engine over the weekend -- in the back of the pack.

Kyle Busch led the field to the green flag, after breaking the track record when he won the pole on Friday.  Kyle was able to pull ahead of his brother Kurt coming off Turn 2.  By lap 19, Kyle Busch realized that he had debris on his grille, but his team just wanted him to keep an eye on his gauges and he would be okay.

On lap 37, the first caution of the race came out for debris on the frontstretch.  When the pits opened, Kyle Busch led everyone down pit road, and Busch was able to beat Jimmie Johnson and Martin Truex Jr. off pit road.  

The race restarted on lap 42, and Busch was passed by Truex for the lead going into Turn 3.  The same lap, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Austin Dillon got together on the backstretch to bring out the second caution. 

The race restarted on lap 48, and Truex was able to clear Busch coming off Turn 4.  On lap 74, after chasing him since the restart, Busch was able to take the lead away from Truex.  On lap 81, Stenhouse brought out the caution again.  He had just returned to the track, but his car began smoking in Turn 4, and NASCAR threw the caution.

Busch led everyone down pit road, and he was able to win the race off pit road, beating Jeff Gordon and Truex.  While pit stops were going on, a fire erupted in Matt Kenseth's pit box.  Kenseth ran over a lug nut leaving his stall, and the sparks caused the excess gasoline to catch on fire.  Safety crews were able to get the fire extinguished with no problems.

Busch led the race back to green on lap 85, and Truex was pushing Busch off into Turn 1.  They both cleared Gordon, and Busch was able to pull away from Truex with the lead.

Matt Kenseth brought his car down pit road on lap 128, and that started a round of green-flag pit stops.  Busch brought his car in on lap 131, and that handed the lead over to Jimmie Johnson.  Johnson gave up the lead to pit on lap 132.  When stops cycled around, Busch was back in the lead.

On lap 150, the caution came out for debris in Turn 2.  Busch brought the field down pit road, and he was able to beat Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. off pit road.  

The race restarted on lap 156, and Busch was able to clear Gordon going into Turn 1.  On the restart, Carl Edwards started to slow and he quickly dropped back.  Edwards said that when he went to pull his belts tight before the green flag they got caught on something and came unhooked.

Jeff Gordon began catching Kyle Busch, and they started to race for the lead on lap 184.  Gordon and Busch raced side-by-side for two laps, and Gordon was able to take the lead on lap 188.  

Also on lap 188, Earnhardt brought his car to pit road for what he thought was a dead battery.  By the time they had replaced the battery, he had lost two laps.  Earnhardt was also caught for speeding on pit road, so he ended up being five laps down after serving his penalty.

Green-flag pit stops began on lap 197, and Gordon and Busch brought their cars down pit road on lap 200.  When stops had cycled around, Truex was scored as the leader.  Truex pitted a lap before Busch and Gordon, and he was able to make up a lot of time while running on fresher tires. 

Travis Kvapil got loose coming off Turn 2 and hit the wall, bringing out the caution on lap 222.  Truex won the race off pit road, beating Gordon and Busch.  

The race restarted on lap 228, and Truex was able to beat Gordon into Turn 1 for the lead.  Busch was also able to get around Gordon for second.  

On lap 274, Kevin Harvick pitted, kicking off another round of green-flag pit stops.  Truex pitted on lap 280, and right as he hit pit road the caution came out.  Marcos Ambrose spun out after contact with David Gilliland, and Jeff Burton spun after running into the back of Mark Martin.

Gordon brought the rest of the field down pit road, and he was able to win the race off pit road. 

The race restarted on lap 290, and Truex was able to pull ahead of Busch and Gordon for the lead. 

On lap 306, Gordon said he had a flat tire and had to bring his car to the pits.  When his team took a look at his tire, they saw that the tire was fine.  Gordon took his car to the garage after his team diagnosed him with a broken left-front hub.

On lap 314, the caution came out for debris in Turn 4.  The leaders brought their cars down pit road, and Busch was able to win the race off pit road.  

The race restarted on lap 317, and Busch was able to clear Truex for the lead.  Truex tried to catch Busch, but Busch was able to pull away and he never looked back.  He went on to win the NRA 500.

Here are the unofficial results:

1. Kyle Busch

2. Martin Truex Jr.

3. Carl Edwards

4. Greg Biffle

5. Joey Logano

6. Jimmie Johnson

7. Aric Almirola

8. Brian Vickers

9. Brad Keselowski

10. Ryan Newman

11. Kasey Kahne

12. Matt Kenseth

13. Kevin Harvick

14. Mark Martin

15. Clint Bowyer

16. Jamie McMurray

17. Paul Menard

18. Trevor Bayne

19. Marcos Ambrose

20. Juan Pablo Montoya

21. Tony Stewart

22. Travis Kvapil

23. Jeff Burton

24. David Reutimann

25. Dave Blaney

26. David Ragan

27. David Stremme

28. Danica Patrick

29. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

30. Josh Wise

31. Casey Mears

32. David Gilliland

33. Austin Dillon

34. Landon Cassill

35. Joe Nemechek

36. Timmy Hill

37. Kurt Busch

38. Jeff Burton

39. J.J. Yeley

40. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

41. Mike Bliss

42. Bobby Labonte

43. Michael McDowell

Kyle Busch was very strong throughout the race, but it seemed that Martin Truex Jr. had made his car stronger during the second half of the race.  But with it all on the line, Busch's team was able to get their driver out of the pits first, and that helped propel him to the lead.  Busch swept the weekend at Texas after winning the Nationwide Series race on Friday.  Next Sunday, the Sprint Cup Series rolls into Kansas, a track very similar to Texas.  The STP 400 will be at 1 p.m. ET, only on FOX.

 

Todd Warsaw/Getty Images