NASCAR Weekend Report

NASCAR Weekend Report

5/10/2009

Author:  Matt Gerwitz

http://www.RacingWeeklyNews.com, U. S. Sports Media, Inc 

DARLINGTON, S.C. - The track nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" hosted NASCAR's top two series over the weekend, adding to its reputation of being a track that puts drivers right on the edge. Darlington Raceway's odd egg shape makes it difficult to set up a car to work well in all the turns, and although sixty-two feet wide in turns three and four, the only place to get a grip is right up against the wall. Many a good driver has finished his day hitting the wall coming out of turn four and this weekend was no exception.

The fun began on Friday with qualifying for the Nationwide Series Diamond Hill Plywood 200 rained out. The starting order was determined by owner points, putting Kyle Busch out front followed by Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, and surprise rookie Erik Darnell. Qualifying for the Sprint Series Southern 500 went off as usual with Matt Kenseth turning a record lap of 179.514 mph. Jeff Gordon turned the second fastest lap but watched as Hendrick teammate Jimmie Johnson was smacked by The Lady in Black. Coming out of turn two he got loose and it the wall, then bounced off and turned down to hit the bottom. Johnson still qualified on driver points but had to settle for the 42nd spot.

The afternoon turned into evening and brought the start of the Nationwide race. Kyle Busch dominated most of the way and appeared to be a lock to win the 200 mile contest, but despite leading 143 laps, a flat tire with three to go forced him into the pits and a 16th place finish. A wreck involving Scott Lagasse Jr. and Joe Nemechek brought out the ninth caution and left debris on the track that cut Busch's tire. Matt Kenseth took the lead and finished under a record-tying 10th caution.

Sprint Cup practice meanwhile, claimed 10 victims as Darlington added more stripes to her already impressive collection. Among the drivers to kiss the Lady was Greg Biffle, whose number 16 Ford had managed to stay off the wall for the last three years. Asked about the contact he responded, "Thank goodness it didn't hurt the car any, it just beat the side up a hair." Three drivers, Scott Speed, David Reutimann and David Stremme ended up wrecking during practice, forcing them to backup cars for the race.

The victory in Saturday's Southern 500 went to classy and respected Mark Martin, with Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and Jeff Gordon rounding out the top five. The track continued her assault on NASCAR's best drivers, claiming plenty of victims and bringing a record 16 cautions. Among them was Clint Boyer who came in riding a streak of 83 consecutive races in which he was still running at the finish. That streak ended when contact with A.J. Allmendinger sent him into the outside wall and then the inside wall, destroying his ride. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were a few of the other Darlington victims.

For the season, points leader Jeff Gordon leads second-place driver Tony Steward by 29 points. Kurt Busch is 55 points down in third place, Jimmie Johnson is fourth, and Denny Hamlin fifth. Jeff Burton, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin and Carl Edwards fill out the top twelve positions.

Source: http://www.RacingWeeklyNews.com, U. S. Sports Media, Inc