Montoya wins pole, Chevys dominate qualifying
View the Brickyard 400 Starting Lineup
After leading both Sprint Cup Series practice sessions Friday at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Juan Pablo Montoya was again the fastest, this time capturing the pole for Sunday’s Brickyard 400.
Montoya edged second place qualifier Jimmie Johnson by 0.037-seconds to grab his 4th career pole, and first pole at Indy.
“It was a good lap,” Montoya said. “I think in (Turn) 2, I got a little bit tight and I had to brake a little bit coming off, but I don’t think it was a major deal. I don’t think I made up any time, but I don’t think I really lost much of a lap time there. Everywhere else was pretty good. I thought it was a good lap. The car has been pretty good. You know, we came here and tested and when we got off the truck, it was good; put it in the truck, it was good; brought it here, was good. So just got to make sure, you know, like Chip says, do everything right tomorrow and see what happens.”
Chevrolets claimed nine of the top-ten positions in the qualifying session. The Ford of Greg Biffle broke Chevy’s hold on the top-nine positions late in the session by qualifying seventh.
Johnson, Mark Martin, Jamie McMurray and Ryan Newman joined Polesitter Montoya as the top-five qualifiers in Saturday’s Brickyard 400 qualifying.
Clint Bowyer, Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-ten fastest drivers in qualifying.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. qualified 17th after his other three teammates at Hendrick Motorsports qualified in the top-eight Saturday.
Joey Logano qualified 34th, but had to start at the rear of the field anyway after he blew an engine in Friday’s second Cup Series practice session.
Four drivers failed to qualify for the race on Saturday, those drivers being David Gilliland, Casey Mears, David Stremme and J.J. Yeley.
Repercussions on a Hot July Night
It was a hot night at Gateway, but no one there including Brad Keselowski had any idea how hot it was going to be.
After a stunning altercation in Atlanta, which saw Keselowski on his roof and inches from the fence off the bumper of Carl Edwards Ford; Keselowski and Edwards had seemingly put their differences aside and had raced one another clean and reasonable. There was no reason to think at 6:30 PM that that would change. The two both had decent qualifying runs starting in the top-10. It didn’t take Brad long to find his way to the front spot which he would hold five times for 139 laps.
But fate was about to show her hand and on lap 196 a three-car wreck caused a Red Flag condition which would cause a GWC finish. The front row was Keselowski and Edwards. Coming to the green flag neither driver showed a clear advantage. Keselowski pulled ahead of Edwards on the backstretch but got out of shape in turn 3 allowing Edwards to pull ahead coming onto the front stretch.
Going into turn one Edwards was clearly the leader. Keselowski drove in deep into the corner and the front end of the car broke loose. He slid into the rear quarter panel of Edwards Ford getting him slightly out of shape. Edwards gathered the AFLAC Ford Fusion back up and again challenged Keselowski for the lead in the second turn.
The Discount Tire Dodge nosed ahead in the center of the turn on the inside and took the lead going down the backstretch and held that lead into turn 3. Edwards again pulled even with Keselowski between turns 3 and 4 and took the lead out of four by the numbers on the door. Keselowski dove low and accelerated hard pulling ahead of Edwards at the quarter mark of the front straight away. When Keselowski reached the nose with his right rear quarter panel the night turned into a nightmare for Keselowski and all those behind him. Edwards turned left into the rear quarter panel hooking the Discount Tire Dodge into the front stretch wall. The car slammed hard into the wall bouncing across the track into the front stretch wall and back into the straight away and coming to a stop dead in the track.
Shelby Howard, hit the nose of the No. 12 car slinging it around like a doll by its hair and drug it across the finish line. Also involved in the carnage was the No. 88 of Steve Arpin, the 16 of Colin Braun and the No. 6 of Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
In Victory Lane, Carl Edwards stated, “I just couldn’t let him take the win from me. We had a great restart. My guys built me a great car. We came to the checkered flag and I hate to see stuff tore up but we came here to win and he took it from us there in Turn 1. Just an awesome race. … I’m sure some of them don’t like that win – Brad Keselowski fans and stuff – but man I just couldn’t let him take it from me. I had to do what I had to do.”
Keselowski’s view was slightly different as would be assumed. “He turned left into me and wrecked me on purpose,” said Keselowski who finished 14th. “I gave him the lane and he still wrecked me. … I figured out a way to beat him. He wasn’t happy with me so he wrecked me. Wrecking down the straightaway is never cool whether it’s at 200 mph or 120. I’m sorry that’s the way it had to end.”
The situation becomes more complicated when Brad’s father, obviously upset and rightly so, raged to the TV media. “Brad got into Carl getting out of Turn 1 – racing – they bumped they rubbed typical rubbing-racing deal,” said the former NASCAR racer and ARCA Champion. “Carl flipped out like he did at Atlanta and tried to kill the kid. I’m sick and tired of this. I’ll get my own damn uniform back on and take care of this. He ain’t going to kill my boy.
“He just overreacted so bad. If he wanted to bump Brad it’s one thing. But don’t drive him through the inside guardrail. Don’t put him in the grandstands at Atlanta. That’s asinine.”
The hoopla and repercussions of the incident began to reverberate through the grandstands and the air waves immediately. They were at it again. Keselowski’s fans said Edwards was trying to kill the young driver, fueled not only by the Atlanta incident but Bob Keselowski’s statement as well. The Edwards camp said he had it coming he tried to wreck Carl to win.
All of it propelled by the statement that Carl made that he wrecked him to win. In the mix would come the age of other drivers some 18 years old and new to the series. Initial reports were all drivers were fine. But the next day reports would surface that Steve Arpin required the services of a chiropractor to put his neck back in place from the crash. Jr. Motorsports car was destroyed as was Keselowski’s and two Roush cars were severely damaged.
The ball was thrown directly into NASCAR’s court. It was time to act. Something had to be done came the cry from fans and media alike. But this ball was complicated by the edict of “Have at it Boys”. How was NASCAR to save face and stop the outcry and the obvious retaliation that would undoubtedly follow? Edwards was confident that he had done nothing wrong. Keselowski urged his fans to use restraint and respect.
On Wednesday afternoon, NASCAR silent since the incident, made their announcement both drivers would be on probation until Dec. 31 in all NASCAR series. Edwards would lose 60-points effectively negating the points gain with the win, and he would be fined $25,000. Roush would be docked 60 car owner points for the frey.
Keselowski’s fans were incensed. Brad did nothing wrong. Edwards’ fans were incensed. He was giving back what he got. Truth is the risk was unacceptable.
The risk to other drivers and other teams’ equipment was not an acceptable risk for Carl Edwards to take. For the second time, Carl used his car as a weapon. He was touched in the process of racing and retaliated without concern for the safety of fans or other drivers and teams. His excuse he touched me sounds more like the argument of a 5- year-old than it does a professional race car driver.
He took a job knowing he would be viewed as a role model and yet he continually conducts himself on the track in a manner that does not promote sportsmanship or championship qualities. His comments on the decision of NASCAR continued that degradation of the sport and its competitors, when he intimated that he can do whatever he needs to do to win but others cannot touch him. Racing is a full contact sport and there is no place in it for a touch me not with anger issues.
In a sport that grows with its youthful fans there is also no place for a role model that pays no concern to the safety and well-being of other or the property of others. What exactly does that teach his young followers? It’s OK to hurt someone else as long as you win. As long as you win it doesn’t matter whether you played by the rules or not. The only thing that does matter is the trophy.
Although I understand Bob Keselowski’s response and my father would have reacted the same way, he should never have made open threats on national TV. Fact is Bob Keselowski is a champion in his own right and never really intended to put any driver at risk including Carl Edwards. Does that mean there wouldn’t be and still might not be a physical confrontation? No it doesn’t and maybe that is what is needed. But there is no place in the sport for threats to the safety of other drivers.
There seems to be a rash of father’s who need to let their grown sons fight their own battles. I understand support. I understand concern. I understand anger. But these young men are old enough to strap into a 3600 lb. stock car and drive at speeds in excess of 150 mph and make split second decisions that affect not only them but 42 other drivers as well. As a parent you determined they were mature enough to make those choices and decisions. So let them make them. Let them fight the battles that come with them. If they are old enough to play they are old enough to pay the price of admission. And though no one wants to see them hurt or worse, the fact is until they fight their own fights without coaching and pushing they will never be respected as men and champions.
No one knows what Brad’s intention was. No one knows whether he truly got loose or he nudged Edwards out of the way. It has been done and is a common and acceptable practice on short tracks. Brad’s past reputation and acts of aggression however, are catching up with him. No one is willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of his history. Very much like the boy who cried wolf, Brad’s point of view will be tainted for some time because of past incidents. Fair maybe not. But it is the risk one takes when they race with their bumper.
The true victims in all of this drama were the other teams that lost and damaged cars. Drivers who paid the price for someone else’s bruised ego. Men and women who lost precious time with families putting or attempting to put those cars back together. Owners some of which are struggling to pay the bills now have to somewhere find the money to replace or rebuild that car.
Ultimately, the only winner here was NASCAR and the media that follows it. Drama sells tickets and t-shirts. That makes money. Feuds boost ratings for TV and radio. In a market that is struggling Carl Edwards became a life preserver for at least three weeks. Even the spectacle of Indy couldn’t compare to the Edwards/Keselowski incident. Not a single driver wasn’t asked his take and opinion. Sadly or maybe tellingly, Mr. Edwards didn’t have much support.
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Congratulations to Kevin Harvick on his truck win at Gateway, and Ron Hornaday for his truck win at ORP. That said, to all the competitors in all the series thanks for giving us everything you have to give you are our heroes. Most importantly though thanks to all the families who share their loved ones with us each and every week so that we can cheer our favorite driver and favorite teams. You are the true heroes of the sport and we are forever in your debt.
With questions of future, Martin feels “disrespected” by media
For the umpteenth time, Mark Martin fielded questions from the media about his plans of the future. And for the umpteenth time, he gave the same answer.
It all started with Ray Evernham, who during an ESPN media conference Friday morning at Indianapolis said he thought that Martin would eventually step out of the No. 5 Chevrolet to make room for Kasey Kahne at Hendrick Motorsports.
“At some point Mark will realize Rick Hendrick has been very good to him, and … the best thing for Hendrick Motorsports is for Mark to make room for Kasey to come over there,” Evernham said. “I think Mark eventually will do that. There’s lots of balls in the air. I wouldn’t be surprised if in the next three to four weeks that Mark Martin says, ‘Rick Hendrick has been good to me, but the best thing I can do for him is to make room for Kasey Kahne.’”
Martin says again, however, that he will be driving in the No. 5 next year.
“I made myself perfectly clear last weekend, or over the last several weeks,” Martin said. “There is no inclination of any change. But I will tell you this — there is no road map for me and my future. So don’t even start to think about criticizing what I do in 2012 or beyond, because I don’t know.”
Frustrated by the media’s constant hounding of the same question week after week, Martin said he feels disrespected by the media.
“That’s what I’ve said all along and I felt very disrespected when the media doesn’t accept that,” Martin said. “What that means is that you made me look like I am about to get fired. That’s very disrespectful, guys. That’s what you all are doing.
“It’s very disrespectful and I deserve better than that from you guys. I’ve always been as straight as I can be and any little bit of waffling that I have done in my whole career was based on being asked questions before I was ready to answer them. I should be able to do the things that I want to do. I went to a limited schedule because I wanted to. I came back full time because I wanted to drive the 5 car. I never said I was going to retire. I said I wasn’t going to run full schedule anymore and I changed my mind. I’m going to have a hard time telling you guys what I’m going to do in 2012 and beyond because you pick at that like I’m indecisive.
“I’m at the point in my career where I get to do whatever in the heck I want to do. Rick Hendrick and Alan Gustafson (crew chief) indicated to me that they wanted me to drive their car as long as I would drive it. After thinking about it, I told them I would drive it through 2011 and that would be long enough commitment for me and then I would do something else. They wanted me to go further than that and I wouldn’t do it because it’s too far out. I don’t have a road map and I don’t want to change my mind. I just want to do what I said I was going to do.
“That’s what we’re going to do, that’s what they want, that’s what I want and I don’t know why everybody makes such a big deal out of all this. Understand that it will all be put to rest whenever they announce what Kasey (Kahne) is going to do and I understand that, but you should be focusing on that. What is Kasey going to do? Because I have told you what I’m going to do.”
Martin’s No. 5 team has struggled this year, compared to last year when they were fighting for a championship until the last race of the season. Now, however, Martin sits outside of the chase and is winless thus far in 2010.
Hornaday Jr. ends 22-race winless streak
CLERMONT, Ind.—The back-to-basics approach seems to work for Ron Hornaday Jr. and the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.
Hornaday Jr. snapped a 22-race winless streak in the truck series Friday night, winning the AAA Insurance 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park.
Watched by team owner Kevin Harvick, Hornaday led 129 laps and beat runner-up Kyle Busch by 2.095 seconds for his first victory since Aug. 1 of last year at Nashville Superspeedway.
Hornaday credited crew chief Ernie Cope—who rejoined the truck team while maintaining his crew chief job with the KHI Nationwide Series group—with helping turn things around.
“We couldn’t do it without Ernie Cope and all these guys on this Chevrolet,” Hornaday said. “They worked their guts out, changing the truck after last weekend. It’s just a great day. Hopefully it keeps a little bit quiet. It took Ernie to come over here and settle everybody down. The guys were getting a little anxious. We know we’ve got a winning team. We just had to prove it to them.”
What did Cope do for Hornaday?
“We just kind of went back to what we call our basic package,” Cope said. “We’ve had people come in and try to do their own thing. I know everyone wants to make an identity for themselves, but it wasn’t working. We had to make changes. We just went back to basics here with Ron and let him drive the truck, don’t try to do nothing trick. We just went to basics and let him do his job. You’re going to win a lot of races when you do that with Ron Hornaday.”
Hornaday chipped in, too, trying to change his luck to get back to the winner’s circle.
“I changed my tennis shoes, changed all my luck stuff,” Hornaday said. “I just (went) back to my basic (of) come to the racetrack and try to kick butt, and it seems to be working.”
The victory was Hornaday’s fourth at ORP in 11 starts at the 0.686-mile short track. He led 67 laps in winning the race here in 2009 and has won three of the last four at the facility.
The key moment of the race came on Lap 153, when Hornaday squirted past Busch and polesitter Timothy Peters for the lead in Turns 3 and 4. Busch was trying to pass Peters on the high side but was blocked by Peters, opening the door for Hornaday.
“That’s one the things you’ve got to remember about this place,” Busch said. “You can dive-bomb the bottom really fast and pull a slide job on somebody, and he did it so well that I was still stuck behind the 17, so I couldn’t even turn back underneath him and do it back to (Hornaday) in the next corner.”
Said Hornaday, “Timothy was kind of backing up the corners, so once I got under Kyle, I kind of pinned him back there. We never touched or anything, but that’s what you’ve got to do here at ORP.”
Busch finished second after practicing his Sprint Cup car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Matt Crafton was third, with Johnny Sauter fourth and James Buescher fifth.
Austin Dillon was sixth, with Todd Bodine seventh, Brad Sweet eighth, David Starr ninth and Peters 10th.
Bodine’s series points lead grew to 177 over Aric Almirola, who finished 31st after being involved in a Lap 96 accident with Narain Karthikeyan and Mario Gosselin.
Ganassi looking for third prestigious trophy
INDIANAPOLIS—Back in May, team owner Chip Ganassi had two of racing’s most prestigious trophies side by side—the Harley J. Earl Trophy for Jamie McMurray’s Daytona 500 win in February and the Borg-Warner Trophy for Dario Franchitti’s victory in the Indianapolis 500.
Ganassi would like to add a third piece of hardware to the collection. Though the trophy that goes to Sunday’s Brickyard 400 winner doesn’t have the history—or even a specific name—of the other two, the Brickyard 400 is arguably NASCAR’s second most prestigious race behind only Daytona.
The chances of Ganassi completing the unprecedented triple aren’t that remote. McMurray and teammate Juan Pablo Montoya both have the speed to win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as they showed Friday by topping the speed charts in the second practice session for Sunday’s race.
Chip Ganassi would love to add a Brickyard 400 trophy to the Daytona 500 and Indianapolis 500 trophies his drivers won earlier this year. (Geoff Burke/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Montoya ran 179.756 mph in qualifying trim. McMurray was a fraction behind at 179.526 mph.
“I’m blessed that I’ve got people that like some of these tracks, I can tell you,” Ganassi said. “All these drivers like particular kinds of tracks—there are so few that are good at all of them—and fortunately, at these ones that have the big races, our drivers seem to step up to the plate, and they seem to like those places.”
No driver has ever won both the Indianapolis 500 and the Brickyard 400. Montoya, who triumphed in the 2000 Indy 500, came close last year when he ran away from the rest of the field in the NASCAR race. A pit-road speeding penalty, however, quashed an exceptional run.
“With last year’s performance that Juan had—and Jamie likes the place—we’re looking forward to it this weekend,” Ganassi said.
Not that Ganassi feels the vaunted Brickyard owes him a win.
“I wouldn’t say it owes me one,” he said. “The minute you start thinking racing owes you something, I think you’re in trouble. But I think our cars are good there, and the drivers like the place, so we’re just going to go in and approach it like we do every other race. It’s still going to take however many pits stops and passing and qualifying and all the normal things you do at every race.
“I’m certainly not looking forward to it because I feel like it owes me something. I’m not looking at that at all. But the fact that Indianapolis is where it all started for racing and where it started for me, it would certainly be great to win and have a little extra satisfaction.”
Even without a victory Sunday, Ganassi can’t be dissatisfied with the season so far. One of the most special moments didn’t occur on the racetrack at all, but when McMurray flew surreptitiously to Indianapolis to celebrate the Indy 500 win with his owner the day after the race.
“That was the surprise of my season so far,” Ganassi said. “Winning the race at Indy and then blasting down to Charlotte to see him (McMurray) finish second (in the Coca-Cola 600), to witness that, and then we flew all night to get back to Indy for the pictures in the morning. So there I am at 8 or 9 o’clock in the morning, after being up till 2 or 3 or something the night before.
“To have him pop his head around the corner, I’ll tell you what, that was a pretty neat surprise that all these people had planned that I didn’t know anything about. It was pretty special to have those two trophies next to each other and the two guys there who earned those trophies next to each other.”
Ganassi, of course, hopes there’s another special moment in store on Sunday.
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Montoya leads second Cup Series practice at Indy
Juan Pablo Montoya led both Sprint Cup Series practice sessions on Friday at Indianapolis in preparation for the Brickyard 400. Montoya posted a single-lap time of 50.068-seconds as his teammate, Jamie McMurray, posted the second fastest time of 50.132-seconds.
If either Montoya or McMurray win Sunday at Indianapolis, they would make their car owner Chip Ganassi the first car owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 events in the same year.
Mark Martin, Clint Bowyer and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five fastest drivers. Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Kyle Busch, Bill Elliott and Martin Truex Jr. were the remaining top-ten fastest drivers in the second practice session.
No drivers completed ten consecutive laps in the session.
Joey Logano lost an engine early in the session. He finished the session 46th quickest but didn’t get out with a new engine before the session ended. He will start at the rear of the field for the second consecutive year.
NASCAR podcast — Indianapolis preview
The official NASCAR podcast previewing Sunday’s Brickyard 400 Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
On this week’s podcast:
— Find out what why it’s an advantage to be a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion at Indianapolis
— Hear from all three active drivers with multiple Indianapolis wins—Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson
— NASCAR managing director of R&D Brett Bodine explains how difficult it is to master the Brickyard
— NASCAR stats guru Mike Forde gets inside the numbers with his fantasy predictions
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
Ryan Newman to appear in the Monster Mile Club at Dover
DOVER, Del. – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Ryan Newman will be the special guest of a hosted question-and-answer session in the Monster Mile Club at Dover International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 26. The Monster Mile Club, an all-inclusive hospitality option including driver appearances, an opportunity to walk on the track before the race, and unlimited food with beverages, is available for $99 and can be added on to any Sunday race ticket.
Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army/Tornados/Hass Automation Chevrolet, is currently in his second season with Stewart-Haas Racing. Newman owns 14 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victories, including a win earlier this season at Phoenix, along with three career wins at the Monster Mile. He currently sits 16th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings, just 99 points behind Clint Bowyer for the 12th and final “Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup” spot.
The Monster Mile Club opens at 8 a.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26 with a continental breakfast. Trackside tours begin at 8:30 a.m. and the hosted question-and-answer session with Newman will follow later in the morning. An all-you-can-eat lunch will be served at 11 a.m. prior to the start of the “AAA 400” NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at 1 p.m. Monster Mile Club ticket holders will also receive a souvenir gift and a race program.
Admission to the Monster Mile Club costs $99 and can be added to any Sept. 26 AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race ticket by calling the Dover ticket office at 1-800-441-RACE or by visiting DoverSpeedway.com.
NASCAR returns to the Monster Mile on Sept. 24-26, 2010. For more information, or to purchase tickets, call 1-800-441-RACE or visit DoverSpeedway.com.
Montoya leads opening Sprint Cup Series practice
View practice speeds from this session (PDF)
A year removed from a speeding penalty that took Juan Pablo Montoya out of the running for a Brickyard 400 victory, he is at the top of the single-lap speed charts in the opening Sprint Cup Series practice of the weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Montoya ran a lap of 50.883-seconds in his No. 42 Target Chevrolet, out pacing fellow Chevy driver Jimmie Johnson, was second fastest with a 50.923-second lap around the historic speedway.
Max Papis, Robby Gordon and Bill Elliott were the remaining top-five fastest drivers in single-lap speeds.
No drivers ran ten-consecutive laps in the session.
Montoya and his teammate Jamie McMurray, who was 26th fastest in the practice session, could make their team owner Chip Ganassi the first owner to win the Daytona 500, Indianapolis 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same series with a win on Sunday.
Edwards will not appeal penalty
Carl Edwards announced during his weekly driver media availability session at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that neither he nor Roush Fenway Racing will appeal the penalties handed down by NASCAR this week in response to his on track retaliation against Brad Keselowsk from Gateway last weekend.
“I talked to Jack (Roush) and Geoff Smith and I don’t plan on appealing it,” Edwards said. “I think it’s fair in that respect. I sincerely apologize to those guys that were caught up in that wreck. I would rather finish second in a good race than have to win a race the way I won the race. Now, I’m not gonna finish second in a race the way that one was going, but I respect NASCAR’s decision.”
“I don’t think there’s one championship-level driver, one winning driver, that can go along in their career and let someone forcefully take wins away from them.”
— Carl Edwards
Team owner Jack Roush said in a statement released by the team Friday afternoon that he stands by his driver.
“We have been and remain supportive of Carl and his reaction to what happened between him and Brad on the final lap at Gateway,” Roush said. “Carl felt he did what was appropriate at the time, but upon reflection he understands why NASCAR felt they needed to step in and temper the situation with he and Brad.
“He accepts the penalty and has asked that we not take any action to appeal the sanctions. It is our hope that he and Brad will continue to battle each week – hopefully within the boundaries that NASCAR deems acceptable – just as they have for wins and the championship.”
Last weekend’s race at Gateway was the second time that Edwards has intentionally wrecked Keselowski on the race track.
At Gateway, Edwards wrecked Keselowski in response to contact between the two last weekend while they were racing for the win in turns 1 and 2 on the final lap. The contact from Keselowski was unintentional, according to the driver, but Edwards’s reaction was not. As the two headed toward the checkered flag, Edwards went to Keselowski’s outside, clipped the right rear corner of his bumper and turned him into the outside wall.
Keselowski would eventually be T-boned as he slid down to the inside wall of the frontstretch before his destroyed car spun across the start finish line. He was later checked and released from the infield care center.
For the incident, NASCAR issued a 60 driver point penalty against Edwards, which is the approximate amount of points Edwards gained from the crash. They also placed both Edwards and Keselowski on probation through the end of the year.
Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards leave the NASCAR hauler after discussing their Atlanta incident at Bristol in March. (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)
The other accident happened in the Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta earlier this year, when Edwards wrecked Keselowski in the front-straightaway, sending Keselowski into the air. Edwards and Keselowski both drew only a three-race probation from NASCAR for this incident.
Edwards, however, said he would do the same thing if the two were in a similar situation this weekend and beyond.
“Both of us are on probation,” Edwards said. “Let me put it this way, I don’t think there’s one championship-level driver, one winning driver, that can go along in their career and let someone forcefully take wins away from them. I don’t think that’s built into any of us. We’ll see what the future holds. I’ll tell you, I race hard and I’m not gonna let somebody take advantage of me, that’s for sure. I’ve proven that, and I’ve been consistent about it, and I’ve been honest about it, too, which, I don’t think has helped me any, but I’ve been honest about it.”
Although, there isn’t anything personal between the two, at least from Edwards’ perspective.
“There’s nothing personal between Brad and I – from my side there’s not,” Edwards said. “I have a lot of respect for him and what he does on the race track, but the problem is that he can’t just run into me to get an advantage, especially for wins. That’s happened way too much between us. The part I’m real happy with on these penalties, I can accept my penalty, but I’m happy that NASCAR recognized that Brad needed to be penalized too – that my race car could have been the one turned around, run into by people behind me, all in pursuit of a win. I think it’s important that NASCAR recognized that.”
Peters fastest in final Trucks practice
View the practice speeds for this session (PDF)
Timothy Peters, driver of the No. 17 Red Horse Racing Toyota, held the fastest single-lap time in the final Camping World Truck Series practice session at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis Friday afternoon. His Toyota ran 27 laps, clocking the fastest lap of the field on his 26th, with a 22.769-second circuit.
Matt Crafton, Johnny Satuer, Justin Lofton and Ron Hornaday Jr. rounded out the top-five fastest drivers in single-lap runs.
Brad Sweet held the fastest 10 consecutive lap average in the session, running an average speed of 103.675 mph.
Keselowski happy with penalties
After being crashed by Carl Edwards, intentionally, for the second time last weekend at Gateway International Raceway in the Nationwide Series, Brad Keselowski said that he was happy with the penalties handed down by NASCAR, including his year-long probation.
“There is no fair penalty,” Keselowski said. “The only thing that makes things fair is to go back in time and reverse it. I’m happy that NASCAR reacted because I think it was crucial for the sport. Intentional wrecking is a big gap from ‘boys have at it.’ It means something different to everyone. When it was originally said in January, we were all wondering how far that went and everybody has a different interpretation to it.”
The Penske Racing driver said he is actually relieved that NASCAR placed him on probation, as he didn’t want to retaliate against Edwards anyway.
“To me, basically what that says is NASCAR doesn’t want me to go out there and intentionally retaliate against Carl, which is great,” Keselowski said. “I didn’t want to. I’m actually glad that they took that away. Now I don’t have to worry about that. … It’s almost a relief so I can kind of move on.
“It makes me ready to go out there and go racing and not have to worry about it.”
Several drivers, including Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and even Denny Hamlin — who intentionally wrecked Keselowski at Homestead-Miami in the Nationwide Series last year — supported Keselowski and thought Edwards crossed a line.
“I’ve been surprised by a lot of people’s reactions, most of them to the positive side,” Keselowski said. “I thought it was pretty cool. It’s funny as a group, … we all have a way of rallying for what we all feel is best for the sport at key, pivotal times.
“Intentionally wrecking is not good for the sport, so it’s good to see that some people will step up for it whether there is any preconceived prejudice against those involved.”
Edwards wrecked Keselowski in response to contact between the two last weekend while they were racing for the win in turns 1 and 2 on the final lap. The contact from Keselowski was unintentional, according to the driver, but Edwards’s reaction was not. As the two headed toward the checkered flag, Edwards went to Keselowski’s outside, clipped the right rear corner of his bumper and turned him into the outside wall.
Keselowski would eventually be T-boned as he slid down to the inside wall of the frontstretch before his destroyed car spun across the start finish line. He was later checked and released from the infield care center.
The other accident happened in the Sprint Cup Series at Atlanta earlier this year, when Edwards wrecked Keselowski in the front-straightaway, sending Keselowski into the air.
The next race weekend at Bristol, NASCAR brought both drivers into the NASCAR hauler before the start of the Sprint Cup Series weekend at the short track to try and clear up the feud between the two.
Obviously, that didn’t work, says Keselowski who says he won’t be trying to talk to Edwards.
“Obviously, whatever talk we had at Bristol was not necessarily productive,” Keselowski said. “I don’t see why that would be any different. … I’d be naive to think that I understood everything or anything that he feels or thinks because I’m still trying to figure out how I feel or think about it.”
Sauter leads opening Truck Series practice
View Speeds from this Practice Session (PDF)
Johnny Sauter was the fastest truck in opening Camping World Truck Series practice at O’Reilly Raceway Friday afternoon. Sauter’s No. 13 SealMaster/Curb Records Chevrolet clocked in a 23.022-second lap, averaging 107.271-mph, to claim the best one-lap speed.
Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr., Jason White and Aric Almirola rounded out the top-five quickest drivers in single-lap runs. The remaining top-ten drivers were Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Timothy Peters, Todd Bodine and rookie Justin Lofton.
Lofton held the best 10-lap average in the session. Lofton ran 10-consecutive laps towards the end of the session to average 103.419-mph. Ryan Sieg in the No. 93 truck held the second fastest 10-lap average, with a speed of 102.618-mph.
The Camping World Truck Series will hit the track for one more practice session at 12:45 p.m. ET. They will qualify at 5:10 p.m. ET later tonight.
Reutimann announces new deal with MWR; Aaron’s to sponsor
David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip Racing announced at Indianapolis Motor Speedway that the driver has re-signed with MWR and will continue racing the No. 00 Aaron’s Toyota again next year. The deal is a multi-year agreement.
Aaron’s has signed on to sponsor 30 races each season for the next two years and will also pick up the remaining six unsponsored races for Reutimann this season, bringing his car to a fully funded status.
“Increasing our involvement in the NACSAR Sprint Cup Series and extending our partnership with Michael Waltrip Racing and David Reutimann through 2012 is a testament to how successful this relationship has been for Aaron’s,” Ken Butler, Chief Operating Officer of Aaron’s, Inc., said. “Much of Aaron’s growth and success is a direct result of our partnership with MWR and we are thrilled to continue that for two more seasons. We have built a rich history with Michael Waltrip and this organization over the last 11 years and I could not imagine Aaron’s partnering with anyone else in this sport. We look forward to being a part of their continued success.”
The deal was done before Reutimann’s second career Sprint Cup Series victory at Chicagoland Speedway earlier this year.
“I’m glad both Michael Waltrip Racing and Aaron’s want to keep me around,” Reutimann said. “I’ve been asked about my contract for the last month and we’ve had a handshake agreement, but now it’s done and I’m glad I can finally talk about it. I’m thrilled. This is where I want to be – at Michael Waltrip Racing driving the No. 00 with Aaron’s on the hood. Aaron’s has been a great partner and I consider myself a lucky dog every time I get behind the wheel of the Aaron’s Dream Machine.
“Michael and Darrell Waltrip have given me just about every chance I have ever had in NASCAR since 2004 and I don’t want to go anywhere else. Good things are happening here and I plan to be a part of it.”
Team owner Michael Waltrip says there was no doubt that keeping Reutimann around was necessary for the organization.
“We never wavered on wanting to extend David and neither did Aaron’s,” Waltrip said. “David and Aaron’s are like family to me. They’ve both been a large part of Michael Waltrip Racing since the very beginning and have stuck with us through thick and thin. In the beginning we all took a chance on each other. You might say it was a high-risk, high reward proposition for everyone involved, but we all believed in each other and we are now starting to see those rewards a little more each day.”
MWR races two-full time cars, driven by Reutimann and Martin Truex Jr. The organization also has a partnership with JTG-Daugherty Racing, who fields the No. 47 Toyota driven by Marcos Ambrose.
Reutimann has two career victories — the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 in 2009 and the LifeLock.com 400 at Chicago this year — as well as nine top-five and 18 top-ten finishes.
