AdvoCare 500
Bristol did not disappoint last weekend, we aside from a few drivers that missed the top groove that is. Fenders were bent, tempers flared and the standings got another bit of a shake up. Oh and there was a great late racing battle between Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.
The two were battling for some time when with 39 laps remaining Hamlin managed to pass Edwards and take the lead. While Edwards attempted to regain the lead he could never het that last ounce of speed to pass and ultimately he ran out of gas as a gable earlier in the race that had given him the lead backfired. The top five was filled out by Jimmie Johnson, who jumped back to second in the standings as well followed by Jeff George, Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.
The lack of a top groove, sanded off despite the protests of the drivers met with differing opinions after the race but most of the ones that I read were mostly in the negative camp. I guess that this late in the season, when a crash can mean not making the Chase could have affected opinions as well.
A side note in that ESPN was reporting yesterday that Matt Kenseth will be joining Joe Gibbs Racing next year. He is expected to take over the #20 car that is currently driven by Joey Logano.
This week: AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway
The teams will be racing in Atlanta this weekend on the Atlanta Motor Speedway’s 1.54 mile oval. As the Chase nears I expect that drivers on the cusp of making the Chase will bring an increased l
evel of aggression to the race, which should make for some good racing.
Broadcast: Sept 2, 6:30 pm ET ESPN
Twitter Handles
Sprint Cup Standings
1) Greg Biffle
2) Jimmie Johnson -11
3) Dale Earnhardt Jr. -15
4) Matt Kenseth -26
5) Martin Truex Jr. -52
6) Clint Boyer -55
7) Brad Keselowski -59
8 ) Denny Hamlin -75
9) Kevin Harvick -82
10) Tony Stewart -103
Joey Logano steadily moved up the pack last week in Bristol and took the lead with 34 laps to go and remain in front until the checkered flag was waved. It was not as easy as it sounds as after he passed Kevin Harvick for the lead he faced a strong push by Ricky Stenhouse Jr., who he managed to beat to the finish line.
There was a lot of banging during the race and a number of cautions, nine in all, that helped cause a number of lead changes as well as . On the last few laps the jockeying for position grew in intensity as seen by a collision between Trevor Bayne and Austin Dillon.
The top five was filled out by runner up Stenhouse Jr., Kyle Busch, Austin Dillon and Elliott Sadler. Danica Patrick, starting at the back of the pack managed a very respectable ninth place finish.
Next Up: NRA American Warrior 300
Broadcast: September 1, 6:30 pm ET ESPN
Nationwide Series Standings
1) Elliott Sadler
2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr. -19
3) Sam Hornish Jr. -28
4) Austin Dillon -35
5) Justin Allgaier -94
