Bowyer, MWR Break Through

Michael Waltrip Racing has been very strong all season long, with very promising runs from Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., and Brian Vickers.  While they had been strong, many didn't believe the team would be very good at Sonoma.  MWR proved them wrong; the entire team ran inside the Top 10 all day, and Clint Bowyer broke through to win his first race of 2012 and his first as a driver of Michael Waltrip Racing.

Clint Bowyer celebrates his first road course win (Courtesy Getty Images)

Marcos Ambrose led the field to the green flag, and when they got to the top of the hill, Ambrose had pulled ahead of Jeff Gordon to take the lead.  Right from the start, Travis Kvapil's left-front tire was locked up, but he was able to get back to pit road.  On lap 12, Marcos Ambrose locked up the right-front tire and Gordon was able to get around him for the lead, after stalking Ambrose since the beginning of the race.  Ambrose hadn't run a long green-flag run in practice, and his team was worried about how the car would handle on long green-flag runs.  By lap 17, Ambrose had fallen all the way to fifth as the handling on the car began going away from him.  On lap 19, Ryan Newman spun in Turn 11, but the race continued on without a caution.

On lap 24, Martin Truex Jr. became the first driver to pull off the track and pit for green-flag pit stops.  On lap 25, Clint Bowyer ran down Jeff Gordon and made a pass for the lead.  By lap 37, the green-flag pit stops had cycled around, and Martin Truex Jr. was the new leader.  Truex had pitted about ten laps before everyone else and inherited the lead when his MWR Teammate Clint Bowyer pitted. 

On lap 49, Truex Jr. gave up the lead to Clint Bowyer to make his second pit stop of the day.  Truex and AJ Allmendinger were one of the few on a three-pit stop race strategy, while most of the field was only going to have to make two pit stops.  On lap 69, Carl Edwards hit pit road to begin another round of green-flag pit stops.  While everyone was pitting, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon ran out of gas before they could make it to pit road. 

Marcos Ambrose leads Jeff Gordon (Courtesy Getty Images)

Martin Truex Jr., who had already made two pit stops during the day, gave up the lead to come to pit road on lap 73.  When the stops cycled around, Clint Bowyer found himself back in the lead.  With 30 laps to go, Bowyer got caught behind Harvick and that allowed Kurt Busch to close in to within one second of Bowyer.  On lap 82, the first caution of the day came out for Tomy Drissi, who spun and hit the wall.

On lap 87, Clint Bowyer led Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, and Martin Truex Jr. on the restart.  Clint Bowyer was able to stay ahead of Kurt Busch following the restart.  On lap 88, Jamie McMurray spun, but was able to keep going without a caution.  On lap 94, Denny Hamlin was spun by his teammate Joey Logano.

With 14 laps to go, Kurt Busch was able to close up to the back bumper of Clint Bowyer's car.  Busch continued to stay right behind Bowyer, bumping him every time they went through Turn 11.  With seven laps to go, Bowyer began to pull away from Busch.  At the same time, Tony Stewart was able to get around Jimmie Johnson for third place. 

Bowyer leads Kurt Busch (51) late in the race (Courtesy Getty Images)

With four laps to go, Kyle Busch got loose under breaking and got into the back of Paul Menard, spinning them both out.  The race was pushed to a green-white-checkered finish, and Clint Bowyer led Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, and Brian Vickers on the restart.  Busch got a good restart, but Bowyer was able to stay ahead of him.  On the restart, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was spun around, and was drilled by Aric Almirola and Regan Smith.  Going into Turn 6 on the final lap, Tony Stewart drove it into the corner deep to pick up second place.  Heading into Turn 11, Stewart tried to close up as much as he could to Bowyer, but it wasn't enough, and Clint Bowyer won his first race of 2012.

Tony Stewart didn't have enough time to catch Bowyer, and he had to settle for second.  Kurt Busch finished third after breaking something in the rear of the car.  Brian Vickers, who stepped in for Mark Martin this weekend, finished fourth.  Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished fifth and sixth, respectively.  Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, AJ Allmendinger, and Joey Logano rounded out the Top 10.  Brad Keselowski finished 12th, and Kyle Busch finished 17th following his wreck that brought out the last caution.  Carl Edwards finished 21st after a tough day.  Martin Truex Jr., who led early, was spun on the last lap and finished 22nd.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. got into a wreck with two laps to go and finished 23rd.  Juan Pablo Montoya, who many though would fight for the victory, finished 34th, five laps down.

Clint Bowyer won Michael Waltrip Racing's first race of the season at Sonoma.  The race wasn't very exciting for the majority of the race, but two cautions at the end tightened up the racing and made for an exciting finish.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series heads to Kentucky Speedway, for the track's second Sprint Cup Series race.  The Quaker State 400 will be Saturday night at 6:30, only on TNT.

Photo courtesy Getty Images

The Dark Knight Rises

On June 15, 2008, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won at Michigan International Speedway for his first win at Hendrick Motorsports.  Four years later, he was still looking for his second win as a member of the Hendrick team.  After 143-races without a win, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally broke through to win at Michigan International Speedway. 

Dale Jr. celebrates his first win in four years (Courtesy Getty Images)

The teams were welcomed to the track this morning by a rain storm, and the start of the race was delayed.  After a wait that lasted nearly two hours, Marcos Ambrose led the field to the green flag.  Ambrose was able to jump out to the lead, while Kevin Harvick, who started second, got a horrible start.  He dropped back to fifth place after one lap.  On lap two, the first caution came out for a spin by Kurt Busch.  Busch was up high in Turn 2 and the car got away from him.

The race restarted on lap five, with Ambrose leading Kasey Kahne, Joey Logano, Greg Biffle, and Kevin Harvick.  Biffle drove his car above Ambrose, and tried to take the lead.  However, he was too high and had to give Ambrose the lead.  One lap later, Ambrose got very loose coming out of two and Greg Biffle took over the race lead.  On lap ten, Josh Wise's engine blew up, bringing out the day's second caution. 

The restart came on lap 16, and Biffle led Ambrose, Logano, Kahne, and Kenseth to the green flag.  Biffle was able to pull ahead of Ambrose on the restart to hold onto the lead.  Biffle was able to hold off Ambrose until the first competition caution came out on lap 26.  The field came in to pit for fuel for the first time during the race.  Marcos Ambrose got the lead in the pits, and he led the field to the green flag on lap 31.  He was followed by Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Mark Martin, and Kyle Busch.  Ambrose was able to stay in the lead until lap 32, when Kenseth was able to get around Ambrose to take the lead.  On lap 49, Kenseth and Ambrose ran into some lap traffic, and when Kenseth went around the lapped car on the outside, Ambrose dove to the inside and took the lead.  The second competition caution came out on lap 51.  The field came in for pit stops, and Greg Biffle gained the lead. 

Greg Biffle leads Marcos Ambrose (Courtesy Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 56, and Greg Biffle led Mark Martin, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose, and AJ Allmendinger.  Biffle jumped out to a quick lead, and Ambrose was able to get around Martin to take second place.  On lap 71, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead away from Biffle and began to pull away from the field.  The caution came out on lap 82 for debris, just as some of the mid-pack cars began coming in for green flag pit stops.  The field came in to make pit stops under caution, and Earnhardt was able to stay in the lead.  Under the caution, Kyle Busch had an engine issue for the third week in a row, and took his car to the garage. 

On lap 87, Dale Jr. led Tony Stewart, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, and Greg Biffle to the green flag.  When the cars got to Turn 1, Stewart drove the car into the corner and was able to take the lead away from Earnhardt.  On lap 104, Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to get back up to Stewart and take the lead away from the Office Depot Chevrolet.  On lap 114, Brad Keselowski pitted for a blistered right-rear tire.  Two laps later, the rest of the field began to come in to start a round of green flag pit stops.  On lap 121, while Juan Pablo Montoya was the leader, Kurt Busch spun to bring out another caution. 

Kurt Busch's damaged car sits on pit road (Courtesy Getty Images)

Jeff Gordon was the leader when the race restarted on lap 126, followed by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Carl Edwards.  Earnhardt was able to jump out to the lead after restarting on the high side.  The same lap, Joey Logano spun himself out off of  David Gilliland's bumper, and the wreck collected Kasey Kahne as well. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. led Jeff Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer, and Tony Stewart to the green flag on lap 133.  For second straight restart, the caution came out on the same lap as the green flag, this time for a spin by Denny Hamlin.  Hamlin got spun around by Ryan Newman, and he spun and hit the grass, which ripped the left side off the car.  As he was driving down pit road, the car erupted in flames, and he quickly came to a stop, got out of the car, and got the fire extinguished. 

Denny Hamlin's car catches fire on pit road (Courtesy Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 141, and Dale Jr. led Gordon, Bowyer, Stewart, and Biffle to the green flag.  Junior grabbed the lead on the restart, and Tony Stewart was able to get around Gordon for second.  With about 40 laps to go, the final round of green flag pit stops began.  With about 30 laps to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. cycled around to become the leader once again.  He began to pull away from the rest of the field, and he cruised to his first victory in four years.  Tony Stewart finished second, followed by Roush-Fenway teammates Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle.  Hendrick teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon finished fifth and sixth, respectively.  Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcos Ambrose, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the Top 10.  Carl Edwards finished 11th, and Brad Keselowski finished 13th.  Mark Martin had engine troubles with five laps to go, and finished 29th after running in the Top 10 most of the day.  This will be Mark Martin's last race until the Brickyard 400 in Indianapolis on July 29th.  Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin, and Joey Logano finished 32nd-35th.

The streak is over.  After four years and 143 races, Dale Earnhardt Jr. finally returned to Victory Lane with a win in the Quicken Loans 400 from Michigan International Speedway.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series will head out west to Sonoma for the Toyota/Save Mart 350.  The race can be seen live at 2 p.m., only on TNT.

The streak is over. (Courtesy Getty Images)

Joey Logano Wins Exciting Pocono Race

Joey Logano's first and only win came in a rain-shortened race at New Hampshire in June 2009.  While his teammates have won almost 30 races since then, Logano has failed to find Victory Lane.  Now, Logano finds himself racing for his job; his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing expires at the end of the season, and he will most likely lose his ride unless he begins to perform.  He may have helped save his seat after he won the Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR.

Joey Logano celebrates his second career victory (Courtesy Getty Images)

Joey Logano led the field to the green flag, and it wasn't long until the first caution came out; Landon Cassill, Martin Truex Jr., and AJ Allmendinger got together in Turn 3 to bring out the first caution of the day.  Carl Edwards used the caution to pit after he and Denny Hamlin made contact at the start of the race.  On lap six, Joey Logano restarted in first, followed by Paul Menard, Marcos Ambrose, Jamie McMurray, and Regan Smith.  The race's second caution came out on lap 13, when J.J. Yeley, Reed Sorenson, and Tony Raines wrecked in Turn 3.  The leaders hit pit road on lap 17, which NASCAR decided would be the competition caution that was scheduled for lap 20.

Landon Cassill's torn-up car after his lap one accident (Courtesy Getty Images)

Jamie McMurray led the field back to green on lap 21, followed by Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.  On lap 23, Hamlin was able to get around McMurray for the race lead.  On lap 33, Hamlin and Keselowski came in to pit after they didn't pit under the caution.  Keselowski was caught for speeding on pit road for the first of many pit road speeding penalties.  One lap later, McMurray hit the pits and relinquished the lead to Dale Earnhardt Jr. 

Jeff Gordon hit pit road on lap 42 to start a round of green-flag stops.  The stops cycled around by lap 50, and Denny Hamlin was the leader of the race.  During the pit stops, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch and David Ragan were hit with speeding penalties.  On lap 60, Dale Earnhardt Jr. grabbed the lead from Denny Hamlin heading into Turn 1.  On lap 65, Hamlin ran out of gas and had to coast to the pits.  But on lap later, the third caution of the day came out for AJ Allmendinger, who pounded the wall in Turn 2. 

On lap 72, Jamie McMurray led Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, Mark Martin, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. to the green flag.  Two laps later, on lap 74, the caution flew again for debris.  Under the caution, Kyle Busch's engine let go, and he took it to the garage.  The green flag came back out on lap 83, and Greg Biffle led Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Joey Logano, and Matt Kenseth.  On lap 93, Matt Kenseth was able to get around his Roush-Fenway Racing teammate Greg Biffle for the lead.  On lap 103, a group of cars came down to begin another round of green-flag pit stops.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to grab the lead when the stops cycled around. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. races with Dave Blaney (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 115, Greg Biffle radioed in that he had lost a cylinder.  On lap 124, his engine finally let go to bring out the fifth caution of the race.  The green flag came back out on lap 129.  It stayed green until lap 136, when Kasey Kahne found the wall coming off the tunnel turn to bring out the sixth caution of the day.  Under the caution, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon came in to top off on fuel as they were about three laps short. 

The race restarted on lap 143, and Joey Logano led Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, and Matt Kenseth to the lead.  Martin stayed beside Logano through Turn 1, and Stewart dive-bombed underneath them both looking for the lead, but coming out of Turn 3, Martin got back into second place.  On lap 149, the caution came out again for debris in Turn 2. 

Mark Martin leads a group of cars (Courtesy Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 152, and Mark Martin was able to pull in front of Joey Logano, and Martin started to pull away from Logano.  With five laps to go, Mark Martin hopped the curb in Turn 3, and Joey Logano was able to pull up to his back bumper.  Going into Turn 1, Logano gave Martin the bump-and-run, and he was able to take the lead.  Logano was able to pull away to win his first race since the rain-shortened race at New Hampshire in June 2009. 

Mark Martin finished second after watching the victory slip through his fingers with five laps to go.  It was his seventh second-place finish at Pocono Raceway; Martin has never won at Pocono.  Tony Stewart finished third.  Jimmie Johnson had to serve two pit road speeding penalties, but he was able to come back to finish fourth.  Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer finished fifth and sixth, respectively.  Matt Kenseth finished seventh, and he was able to take the points lead away form his teammate Greg Biffle.  Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to come back to finish eighth.  Paul Menard and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top ten.  Carl Edwards was able to finish 11th after his lap-one skirmish with Denny Hamlin.  Brad Keselowski finished 18th after he had to serve multiple pit road speeding penalties.  Jeff Gordon finished 19th.  Greg Biffle's engine let go, and he finished 24th.  Kasey Kahne finished 29th, and Kyle Busch finished 30th after blowing an engine about halfway through the race.

The Pocono 400 presented by #NASCAR was one of the most exciting races at Pocono in recent years.  I should know; Pocono is my favorite track and I try to get out to at least one race every year.  Next week, NASCAR heads to the Irish Hills to Michigan International Speedway for the Quicken Loans 400.  The race will be at 12 noon, only on TNT.

Courtesy Getty Images

Johnson Continues Hendrick's Dominance

Hendrick Motorsports struggled to win race No. 200, but after Jimmie Johnson won at Darlington, Hendrick Motorsports swept the Sprint Showdown, the All-Star Race, and the Coca-Cola 600.  This week, their domination continued with Jimmie Johnson winning the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks at Dover International Speedway.

Jimmie Johnson celebrates with his crew (Courtesy Getty Images)

Mark Martin won his third pole of the season, and he led the field to the green.  Jimmie Johnson started on the outside, and he was able to clear Martin coming out of Turn 2.  On lap 7, Martin got back around Johnson for the lead.  The first caution came out on lap 9, when Tony Stewart made contact with Landon Cassill.  Regan Smith, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Gilliland, Scott Speed, Stephen Leicht, Dave Blaney, Michael McDowell, and Joe Nemechek were also involved.  The red flag came out while the track officials had to clean up the track, which had been completely blocked with the carnage.  The yellow flag came back out after a 20-minute red flag.

The race restarted on lap 13, and this time Mark Martin picked the outside lane to begin the race.  The move payed off, and Martin was able hold off Johnson for the lead.  Martin was able to hold the lead until lap 30, when Johnson got back around him for the lead.  On lap 60, Mark Martin was able to get around Johnson once again, and he led until green flag pit stops on lap 72.  Following pit stops, the top 5 were Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, and Jeff Gordon.

This lap 9 crash caused a 20-minute red flag (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 84, Jimmie Johnson got around Mark Martin for the lead.  He held the lead until lap 111, when the caution came out for a blown engine by David Reutimann.  Jimmie Johnson led the field to the green flag when the restart came on lap 117, followed by Mark Martin, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, and Jeff Gordon.  Kyle Busch was able to get around Mark Martin to take third place following the restart. 

On lap 164, Carl Edwards had a tire go down and he slapped the outside wall to bring out the third caution of the day.  The race went green again on lap 169, and Johnson led Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, and Matt Kenseth.  Just past halfway, on lap 203, Kyle Busch's engine let go, and he pulled it into the garage; the race stayed green.  On lap 211, Jeff Gordon was able to get around Jimmie Johnson for the lead, and began to pull away from him.  On lap 226, the fourth caution came out for debris on the frontstretch.  When the race restarted on lap 232, Jeff Gordon led Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, and Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. races teammate Kasey Kahne (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 249, Jeff Gordon reported that there was something "weird" going on with his car, and two laps later he came in to pit for what he believed to be a loose wheel.  When Gordon got back out, he was two laps down, but he was quickly able to get around Johnson to get one of his laps back.  On lap 291, Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski, and AJ Allmendinger hit pit road to begin another round of green-flag pit stops.  The round of stops was done by lap 300, and Jeff Gordon got his lap back and was scored as the leader.  He was followed by Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Brad Keselowski.

Gordon pitted on lap 324, hoping that the race would stay green and he would not have to pit again.  On lap 340, however, another caution came out for debris, ruining Jeff Gordon's plans for the race.  When the race restarted on lap 344, Jimmie Johnson led Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Aric Almirola; Jeff Gordon restarted 18th.  On lap 345, Kurt Busch's engine blew, bringing out the sixth caution of the race.  The race restarted on lap 352, with Jimmie Johnson leading Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, and Clint Bowyer. 

Jeff Gordon races with Mark Martin (Courtesy Getty Images)

Jeff Burton's engine let go with 37 laps to go to bring out the race's seventh caution.  The race restarted with 32 laps to go, with Jimmie Johnson leading Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Clint Bowyer.  Johnson pulled away from Harvick, and he was never able to catch the No. 48 car.  Jimmie Johnson won his second race of the season, and his seventh career race at Dover.  Kevin Harvick finished second, Matt Kenseth third, Dale Earnhardt Jr. fourth, and Clint Bowyer fifth.  Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, Kasey Kahne, and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top 10.  Points-leader Greg Biffle finished 11th, and Brad Keselowski finished 12th.  Jeff Gordon's pit strategy didn't work out the way they had hoped, and he finished 13th.  Pole-sitter Mark Martin finished 14th.  Denny Hamlin finished 18th, and Kurt Busch finished 24th after blowing his engine.  Tony Stewart was able to come back to finish 25th, while Carl Edwards would finish 26th.  Kyle Busch blew an engine around halfway, and finished 29th.

Jimmie Johnson continues Hendrick Motorsports' domination by winning at Dover for the third Hendrick win in as many races.  While the race was dominated by Johnson, Dick Berggren dominated everyone's thoughts throughout the race weekend.  Berggren was retiring from FOX's NASCAR coverage, and was going to begin building a motorsports museum in New Hampshire.  This weekend was also the final race for FOX for the 2012 season.  Next week, the race will be shown on TNT; at 12 p.m., the Sprint Cup Series will roll into the "Tricky Triangle," Pocono International Raceway, for the Pocono 400.

Courtesy Getty Images

Kasey Kahne Breaks Out

Kasey Kahne moved over to Hendrick Motorsports at the start of the 2012 season, after spending 2011 at Red Bull Racing and was hoping to have a breakout season.  Unfortunately, he did not get off to the start that he had hoped for, and found himself 16th in points coming into the Coca-Cola 600.  In his 300th career start, Kasey Kahne was able to finally break through, and win his first race with Hendrick Motorsports.

Kasey Kahne finally won with Hendrick Motorsports (Courtesy Getty Images)

Aric Almirola won the pole for the Coca-Cola 600, and led the field to the green flag.  His teammate Marcos Ambrose got around him after starting on the outside, however, and led the first lap.  On lap three, Almirola was able to get around his teammate to lead his first laps of the night.  Ambrose got back around Almirola, but then Greg Biffle got around Ambrose to take the lead on lap 9.  On lap 15, Ambrose got back around Biffle, but Biffle pulled right up to Ambrose's back bumper because he had some debris on his grille.  Biffle then got back around the No. 9 car to retake the lead. 

AJ Allmendinger hit pit road on lap 41, kicking off a round of green-flag pit stops.  By lap 48, the stops had cycled through and Greg Biffle was the leader once again, followed by Marcos Ambrose, Clint Bowyer, Kasey Kahne, and Mark Martin.  Biffle began to lap a lot of the field, including Tony Stewart, Joey Logano, and Trevor Bayne.  Green flag stops began once again on lap 88, when Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya came in to make their stops.  Greg Biffle was able to hold onto the lead after pit stops.

On lap 111, the night's first caution flew for debris on the track, and the field came back down pit road.  Marcos Ambrose won the race off pit road, followed by Jamie McMurray, Greg Biffle, Kyle Busch, and Kasey Kahne.  The race restarted on lap 118, and Marcos Ambrose was able to clear McMurray, and Kyle Busch was able to get around McMurray for second place.  On lap 121, Kyle Busch was able to clear Ambrose to take the lead.  Biffle was able to get to Ambrose's back bumper, and was able to make the pass on lap 123.  On lap 125, Biffle was able to get around Busch to retake the lead. 

A familiar scene early in the race; Greg Biffle and Kasey Kahne racing for the lead (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 133, the second caution of the night came out, once again for debris.  The field came in to make pit stops, and Kyle Busch won the race off pit road.  Jeff Gordon, however, didn't pit, and inherited the lead.  Kyle Busch restarted on the outside, and blew by Gordon on the restart.  Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson went 3-wide and passed Gordon going down the backstretch to drop him to fourth.  On lap 149, Carl Edwards came into the pits to fix what he believed to be a loose wheel. 

Jeff Gordon, who didn't pit under caution with the rest of field, hit pit road on lap 168.  Just two laps later, on lap 170, Travis Kvapil got into the wall and brought out the third caution of the night.  The leaders came into pit road, and Kyle Busch beat Kasey Kahne off pit road.  Busch led the field to the green on lap 175, and led until the caution came out again on lap 178 for debris.  The Lucky Dog for the caution was Carl Edwards, who got his lap back after he had to pit with a loose wheel. 

The race restarted on lap 182, and Kyle Busch was able to jump out in front of Greg Biffle, who was being hounded by Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson.  Kasey Kahne was able to get alongside Biffle, but could not complete the pass.  On lap 192, Biffle got a great run off Turn 4, and, heading into Turn 1, was able to take the lead away from Busch. 

On lap 217, Marcos Ambrose slowed and radioed in that he had a problem.  The team thought it was a broken track bar, and they pulled the No. 9 car behind the wall.  At the same time, Clint Bowyer and Dale Earnhardt Jr. began another round of green-flag pit stops.  Before the leaders made their pit stops, Kasey Kahne was able to get around Greg Biffle for the lead.  Following the stops, however, Biffle found himself back in the lead. 

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a patriotic National Guard scheme this weekend (Courtesy Getty Images)

On lap 265, green-flag pit stops began again, and Tony Stewart went for a spin trying to get into his pit; he was clipped by Brad Keselowski, who was trying to get out of his pit stall.  Greg Biffle came into the pits first with a large lead over Kasey Kahne, but when they left Kahne was right on his bumper.  On lap 278, Greg Biffle got extremely loose, and two laps later Kasey Kahne was able to get around him for the lead. 

With 100 laps to go, another round of green-flag pit stops began.  Kasey Kahne was leading when pit stops began, but after coming in about a lap after Greg Biffle, Biffle found himself .5 seconds ahead of Kahne.  With 83 laps to go, Biffle and Kahne started racing side-by-side for the lead, and Biffle would not allow Kahne to get around him.  The fifth caution flag flew on lap 318 for debris.  The field came in to pit, and Denny Hamlin, who was running third, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was running seventh, stayed out and inherited the lead.  Biffle and Kyle Busch led the race off pit road, while Kasey Kahne was the fourth car to come off pit road. 

The restart came on lap 325, and Dale Jr. had a big run going into the first corner, but Hamlin was able to hold him off.  Kasey Kahne found a line he could run well in, and he began to pick off the drivers ahead of him, and quickly moved into second.  On lap 333, Kahne was finally able to get around Hamlin to take the lead.  On lap 338, Mark Martin, who had been hanging around the top 10 all night, took the car to the garage.  Before he lost power, Martin had told the team that the water temperature gauge was "pegged."

Mark Martin was driving a patriotic scheme this weekend (Courtesy Getty Images)

Dale Earnhardt Jr. began falling back, being passed by Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle to fall to fifth.  Earnhardt Jr. had some debris on his grille, and he could not get it off as his engine temperature climbed higher and higher.  With 47 laps to go, the final green-flag pit stops began, with Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch coming in to make stops.  During pit stops, Jimmie Johnson left his pit box with the fuel can still in his car, and he had to come in for a stop-and-go penalty.  Dale Jr. was able to come in for fuel and tires, and he was able to get his grille cleaned off.  When the stops cycled around, Kasey Kahne still led Denny Hamlin by about 2.5 seconds. 

With about 28 laps to go, Kasey Kahne began to complain that his car's handling was starting to go away, and Denny Hamlin was beginning to close in on him.  By lap 380, however, Kahne had started to pull back away from Hamlin, and was able to cruise to his first victory with Hendrick Motorsports by a margin of over 4 seconds.  Denny Hamlin finished second, Kyle Busch was third, Greg Biffle fourth, and Brad Keselowski was fifth.  Positions 6-10 were: Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, Carl Edwards, and Matt Kenseth.  Jimmie Johnson finished 11th after his pit miscue, while pole-sitter Aric Almirola finished 16th.  Tony Stewart had a rough night, and finished 25th.  Danica Patrick, making another start in the Sprint Cup Series, finished 30th, five laps down.  Mark Martin blew an engine with about 100 miles to go, and finished 34th. 

The Coca-Cola 600 was not as interesting as many had hoped, but there was some exciting racing for the lead throughout the race.  Kasey Kahne was finally able to break through to get his first win for Hendrick Motorsports, and I'm sure it isn't the last win this season for that team.  Next week, the Sprint Cup Series rolls into Dover International Speedway for the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.  The race will be the final race for FOX's NASCAR coverage, and can be seen on Sunday at 12:30.

Courtesy Getty Images

Franchitti Wins Exciting Indianapolis 500

Last year, a last lap wreck by JR Hildebrand allowed the late Dan Wheldon to win his second Indianapolis 500.  Today, in the first Indianapolis 500 since Wheldon died in a horrific crash at Las Vegas, his good friend Dario Franchitti won his third 500 after Takuma Sato crashed trying to make a pass for the lead on the last lap.

Franchitti celebrates with Chip Ganassi in Victory Lane (Courtesy Getty Images)

The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 was led to the green by Ryan Briscoe, but James Hinchcliffe shot around him out of Turn 4 to lead lap 1.  Briscoe was able to get back around Hinchcliffe to lead lap 2.  Briscoe was able to lead until lap 5, when Hinchcliffe was able to use the draft to get around him once again.  Briscoe got around him one lap later, and he was able to hold the lead until the caution came out lap 15 for a spin by Bryan Clauson.  The field came in to pit, and James Hinchcliffe beat Ryan Briscoe out of pit road for the lead.  While coming in for his stop, Dario Franchitti was spun by E.J. Viso, and Franchitti's team quickly changed the front nose and got him back out on track. 

All 33 drivers pose with the Borg Warner Trophy prior to the race (Courtesy Getty Images)

The race restarted on lap 19, and there was a big traffic jam when the green flag came out.  James Hinchcliffe lost the lead on the start and Ryan Briscoe took over once again.  Marco Andretti took the lead away from Briscoe, but on lap 22, Briscoe took over again.  On lap 24, Marco took the lead away from Briscoe once again.  Briscoe then fell to third after Hinchcliffe got around him for second place.  On lap 44, James Hinchcliffe pitted to begin the first round of green-flag pit stops.  One lap later, Marco Andretti pulled off to pit, as did Ryan Briscoe. 

Pit stops were done by lap 50, and the lead cycled back around to Marco Andretti.  For the first time in the race, the leader had a margin of victory bigger than a second.  Andretti was leading Scott Dixon by 1.4 seconds following the round of pit stops.  About 20 laps after pit stops, Tony Kanaan came back into the pits for what may have been a fuel problem.  On lap 74, Marco Andretti came into the pits to start another round of green-flag pit stops. 

On lap 79, a big crash took place between Will Power and Mike Conway.  Conway got loose due to a broken nose, and spun out.  Power had nowhere to go and made contact with Conway, and Conway got airborne against the fence before landing on all four tires.  Fortunately, both Conway and Power were not injured in the accident, due in part to the new car, designed to keep the drivers safer. 

James Hinchcliffe leads Dario Franchitti (Courtesy Getty Images)

Marco Andretti led the field to the green on lap 88, and there was another crazy restart, with the cars going three- and four-wide.  On lap 90, Ana Beatriz spun and made contact with the wall.  Under caution, Marco Andretti surrendered the lead to pit, while Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti stayed out.  Dixon led the field to the green flag on the restart on lap 95.  With 86 laps to go, JR Hildebrand made another green-flag pit stop, kicking off another round of green-flag pit stops.  With 81 laps to go, leader Scott Dixon came in to make his green-flag stop. 

While green-flag pit stops were going on, something broke in the rear of Ryan Hunter-Reay's car, and his hopes of winning the Indianapolis 500 ended about 75 laps early.  After pit stops cycled around, the new leader was Takuma Sato.  With 56 laps to go, Marco Andretti came into the pits after complaining about what he thought was his right-rear tire running down to the chords.  After making his pit stop, the caution came out for Sebastian Saavedra, who's car stalled in the warm-up lane coming out of the pits. 

The race restarted with 48 laps to go, and once again it was a dicey restart.  Dario Franchitti was finally able to get around Takuma Sato going into Turn 3, and his Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon followed him past Sato.  With 41  laps to go, Dixon was able to get around Franchitti to take over the lead; Franchitti got around him for the lead just one lap later.  On lap 164, Josef Newgarden brought out the caution when he stopped in the grass on the backstretch. 

The race restarted on lap 171, with Ganassi teammates Franchitti and Dixon leading the field to green.  Dixon got around Franchitti for the lead, and a few laps later Franchitti got back around Dixon.  The Ganassi teammates were racing for the lead, but they were worried about more than who was going to win; they were unsure of if they would have enough fuel to make it to the end of the race.  All of those worries went out the window when, with 20 laps to go, Ed Carpenter spun out coming out of Turn 1.

Dario Franchitti, right, passes teammate Scott Dixon for the lead (Courtesy Getty Images)

With 16 laps to go, Dario Franchitti led the field to the green, but Tony Kanaan, who restarted fifth, pulled out and made a four-wide pass for the lead.  Before they even completed one lap, Franchitti was able to blow right by him again for the lead.  With 13 laps to go, Kanaan got back around Franchitti for the lead.  At the same time, Kanaan's former teammate, Marco Andretti, crashed in Turn 1 to bring out another caution.

The race restarted with 6 laps to go, and Tony Kanaan led Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon to the green.   Kanaan fell to third on the restart when Franchitti and Dixon got around him.  Dixon got around his teammate with 5 laps to go, and Takuma Sato got around Kanaan for third.  With two laps to go, Franchitti got around Dixon coming to the line, and Sato followed him under Dixon to take second place.  Going into Turn 1 on the final lap, Sato tried to make his move under Franchitti, and spun out and hit the wall hard.  The caution immediately flew, and Franchitti would lead the field to the checkered flag to win his third Indianapolis 500.

Franchitti's Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon followed him across the line to finish second.  Fan-favorite Tony Kanaan finished third, finishing just short of his first Indianapolis 500 win for the 11th time.  Oriol Servia finished fourth, and Ryan Briscoe was fifth.  James Hinchcliffe, Justin Wilson, Charlie Kimball, Townsend Bell, and Helio Castroneves finished 6th-10th, respectively. 

Some other notables:

• Rookie Rubens Barrichello finished 11th.  
• Last year's runner-up finisher JR Hildebrand finished 14th.  
• Takuma Sato finished 17th after crashing on the last lap.   
• Marco Andretti finished 24th after wrecking with 13 laps to go.  
• Points leader Will Power finished 28th after being involved in the wreck with Mike Conway.  

The 96th running of the Indianapolis 500 was one of the best ones ever run.  There was a lot of excitement, form the restarts to the record number of lead changes.  There were many tributes for Dan Wheldon throughout the day, but the biggest tribute may have been Dario Franchitti's victory. 

Courtesy Getty Images

NASCAR Hall of Fame: Class of 2013

Yesterday, the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel decided who the deserving five are who will be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  The votes were cast, and the five men were announced live from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.  The 2013 Hall of Fame Class will include Buck Baker, Cotton Owens, Herb Thomas, Rusty Wallace, and Leonard Wood.

The voting panel decided who would be in the NASCAR Hall of Fame Class of 2013 (Courtesy Getty Images)

Buck Baker
Elzie Wylie Baker Sr., better known as Buck Baker, was born in Richburg, South Carolina on March 4, 1919.  He began his NASCAR career in 1949, and won his first race three years later at Columbia Speedway.  During his twenty-three year career, Baker won two championships (1956, 1957), 46 races, and 45 pole positions.  He was the first driver to win two consecutive championships in NASCAR's premier series.  Buck Baker retired from NASCAR in 1976, and opened up the Buck Baker Racing School.  The school, which is now operated by his wife Susan, is where Jeff Gordon drove his first stock car.  In 1990, Baker was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame.  Baker died on April 14, 2002 in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 83.

Cotton Owens
Everett "Cotton" Owens was born on May 21, 1924 in Union, South Carolina.  In the 1950s, Owens made a name for himself in what is now known as the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.  He was the champion of that series in 1953 and 1954, and had over 100 feature wins.  In 1950, Owens tried his hand at stock car racing, starting three races in NASCAR's premier division.  His first win came on February 17, 1957 on the Daytona Beach Road Course.  During his driving career, he had 9 wins and 10 poles over 160 race starts.  While he was a great driver, most of his success came as an owner.  Owens has a long list of legendary drivers who climbed into his racecars throughout his career, including David Pearson, Buddy Baker, Ralph Earnhardt, Junior Johnson, Benny Parsons, Fireball Roberts, Al Unser, and Mario Andretti.  A total of 25 drivers climbed behind the wheel, and he earned 38 victories and 29 pole positions in 291 races run.  In 1966, he was the Grand National Championship Car Owner when David Pearson won the championship.  He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2008. 

Herb Thomas
Herbert Watson Thomas was born on April 6, 1923 in Olivia, North Carolina.  Herb Thomas was a driver in NASCAR's first officially-sanctioned race at Charlotte Speedway in 1949.  His first win came at Martinsville Speedway in 1950.  During his career, Thomas picked up 48 wins and 39 poles over 228 races started.  Thomas was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1994.  On August 9, 2000, Thomas suffered a heart attack and died in Sanford, North Carolina; he was 77.

Rusty Wallace meets with fans at the NASCAR Hall of Fame (Courtesy Getty Images)

Rusty Wallace
Russell William Wallace Jr. was born on August 14, 1956 in Arnold, Missouri.  His NASCAR career began in 1980, and he won his first race at Bristol in 1986.  In 1989, Wallace won the NASCAR Winston Cup Series Championship.  Two year later, in 1991, Wallace joined with Roger Penske to drive the "Blue Deuce;" Wallace would stay with Penske until his retirement in 2005.  Wallace retired with 55 wins and 39 poles over 706 starts.  Wallace designed the Iowa Speedway, and the NASCAR Nationwide Series currently races there twice a year.  Rusty Wallace retired to the ESPN booth, and is currently an analyst for ESPN's NASCAR coverage.

Leonard Wood
Leonard Wood was born on September 22, 1934 in Stuart, Virginia.  Leonard, brother of Hall of Famer Glen and Delano Wood, helped found Wood Brothers Racing and helped innovate the modern pit stop.  Wood was the chief mechanic for the team and he helped change the jacking procedure on pit stops, from using floor jacks that weighed more than 100 pounds to the lightweight jack that is used today.  Leonard went over the wall to change tires well into his 50s, and, in 1965, Wood helped lead Jim Clark to an Indianapolis 500 victory.  Wood even innovated the way to fuel the car; he created an internal device that allowed the fuel to flow more quickly.  Wood ran the team's engine shop that made engines reliable enough to stay on par with rivals Holman-Moody and Petty Enterprises.  Wood had many legends strap into his cars throughout the years; Neil Bonnett, A.J. Foyt, Dan Gurney, and Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough.  Throughout his career, Wood's team amassed 96 wins and 117 poles in over 990 starts.

Leonard Wood, left, stands with his brother and fellow Hall of Fame member Glen Wood (Courtesy Getty Images)

For the first time in voting history, there was a tie for the fifth and final spot in the Class of 2013.  Buck Baker was picked over Fireball Roberts for the final spot.  The results of the fan vote on NASCAR.com were, in alphabetical order: Benny Parsons, Fireball Roberts, Wendell Scott, Rusty Wallace, and Leonard Wood.  The Class of 2013 will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on February 8, 2013.

The NASCAR Hall of Fame: Class of 2013 (Courtesy Getty Images)