NASCAR At Kansas 2012: Matt Kenseth wins Hollywood Casino 400

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400: Wreckfest in full effect at Kansas Speedway

Insert your favorite Wizard of Oz joke here, because this is ridiculous.

Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman tangled off turn two, sending Busch backing into the wall off the turn and Newman sliding through the frontstretch grass and doing heavy damage to the nose of his car. It is the 12th caution in what has been a wreckfest of an afternoon in the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway

Just before that wreck, Greg Biffle crashed to draw the 11th caution. Biffle, who was running third, lost control of his Ford exiting the fourth corner and pounded the wall, doing heavy damage to his Ford.

The wreck by Busch the most recent in a spate of caution flags going back to Jimmie Johnson's accident on lap 136. Bobby Labonte wrecked almost immediately after that restart. On lap 155, Danica Patrick intentionally spun Landon Cassill and subsequently wrecked herself by over-correcting her spinning car into the outside wall.

Tony Stewart spun on the restart from that yellow but didn't hit anything. Marcos Ambrose and Trevor Bayne then tangled on the restart from Stewart's spin, followed by the accident by Biffle (which came after Aric Almirola spun but didn't hit anything while racing for the lead).

Mark Martin shows the way with 85 laps to go, followed by Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Paul Menard, and Kasey Kahne.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400: Jimmie Johnson crashes on lap 136

In a stunning turn of events, championship contender Jimmie Johnson has spun and backed his No. 48 Chevrolet into the wall. The five-time Sprint Cup champ's Chevrolet has back-end damage, and the blow to his title hopes could be equally extensive as he limps around while point leader Brad Keselowski runs 10th.

Before Aric Almirola wrecked and brought out the caution flag, Johnson pitted from the race lead on lap 119. Almirola's wreck - while leading the race - trapped Johnson a lap down. He restarted 21st, gained one spot, and then lost control of his Chevy and backed into the wall. Between them, Johnson and Almirola had led 113 laps.

Matt Kenseth had passed Clint Bowyer for the race lead on the restart eight laps before Johnson's wreck and shows the way in one of his final races with Roush-Fenway Racing. Bowyer runs second, followed by Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, and Paul Menard.

Regan Smith runs sixth, followed by Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose, Kyle Busch, and Keselowski.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400: Clint Bowyer assumes lead as blown right-front tire ruins Aric Almirola's tremendous run

Aric Almirola had led more laps than anyone at the Kansas Speedway, but his right front tire blew on the 121st lap and put the No. 43 Ford into the wall. Almirola had just assumed the lead when Jimmie Johnson made his scheduled green-flag pit stop and was due to pit on the subsequent lap when the tire deflated. The same malady - a blown right front tire - also ruined the days for Casey Mears and A.J. Allmendinger early in the going.

Almirola had led 69 laps and looked like a potential winner, but his car will likely require extensive attention from his crew in order to continue, ruining his shot to win.

The yellow was a bad break for Johnson, who was trapped a lap down after pitting and now sits 24th. He'll take the wave around to get back onto the lead lap.

Clint Bowyer had assumed the lead when Almirola wrecked and shows the way at his home track. The native of Emporia, KS, entered the day fourth in points, 28 points off the lead. A second-straight win would help his championship aspirations, but the idea of winning at home would probably trump all of that in the short term.

Matt Kenseth runs second, followed by Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, and Greg Biffle.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400 Update: Jimmie Johnson leads as race crosses its 100 lap mark

Five-time Sprint Cup champ Jimmie Johnson came into Sunday's Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway with a seven point deficit to Brad Keselowski.

So far, Johnson is doing a good job of erasing that lead and then some. The Hendrick Motorsports driver shows the way after 100 of 267 laps. Keselowski, meanwhile, is running 24th. The third contender for the title is Denny Hamlin, who runs 13th.

Aric Almirola, who has dominated most of the opening 150 miles of the event, runs second to Johnson, less than one second back. Local favorite Clint Bowyer shows in third place, with Kurt Busch (having a tremendous run in his second race with Furniture Row Racing) and Martin Truex Jr. completing the top-five.

Matt Kenseth holds down sixth place, followed by Mark Martin who led the race's first seven laps before giving way to Almirola. Regan Smith, making his second of two starts in Dale Earnhardt Jr's No. 88 Chevrolet before Earnhardt returns next week, has driven from 39th in qualifying to eighth early on in Kansas. Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards round out the top-10.

Paul Menard, who dominated Saturday's Nationwide Series race and was in position to win before being felled by an empty gas tank, is solidly in 11th, one spot ahead of polesitter Kasey Kahne. Kahne has struggled with the handle on his Chevy all race long and has not led a single lap today.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400 Update: Kyle Busch spins while running second

After a spin-cycle of a Nationwide Series race yesterday, Kyle Busch was the Sprint Cup Series' first driver to take a loop-de-loop in the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway.

Busch was running second to race leader Aric Almirola when he spun his Toyota off turn four on lap 40. The car slid harmlessly into the infield grass, but did not hit anything and Busch will be able to continue.

Less fortunate is Casey Mears, who brought out the first yellow on lap 32 after blowing a right-front tire and slamming the wall exiting turn two. Mears' car was heavily torn up after a miserable weekend that saw his team struggle with oil leaks throughout the Thursday test session.

Almirola has looked stout early on, stretching his lead to over five seconds before Mears drew the first yellow with his wreck. Ryan Newman assumed second after Busch's spin, followed by Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, and Greg Biffle.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Hollywood Casino 400: Aric Almirola shows the way early

It's been nearly 14 years since a car carrying Richard Petty's famous No. 43 pulled into victory lane. The Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway is in its infancy, but The King's number is out front early on.

Aric Almirola overhauled Mark Martin on lap seven to put his Fusion out front and shows the way after 15 of the 267 circuits to be run today.

Martin, who passed polesitter Kasey Kahne on the opening lap, still runs second, with Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, and Denny Hamlin rounding out the top-five.

Kahne has backslid to sixth place after nearly spinning off turn two in an early duel for position with Busch. Greg Biffle runs seventh, followed by Joey Logano, local favorite Clint Bowyer, and Jimmie Johnson.

Point leader Brad Keselowski started 25th and has climbed to the 19th position in the race's early going. Keselowski qualified poorly last week in Charlotte as well, but crew chief Paul Wolfe got his driver to the front of the field with pit strategy. Keselowski proceeded to dominate the race before running out of fuel and winding up 11th.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Kansas Lottery 300: Championship hopeful Ricky Stenhouse Jr. tangles with Joey Logano

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. is one of NASCAR's most exciting young up-and-comers because of his ragged-edge style of racing. That same all-out style that helped him win last year's Nationwide Series championship has probably cost him dearly in the Kansas Lottery 300 at the Kansas Speedway.

Stenhouse was battling with polesitter Joey Logano for fourth place when the two tangled and smacked the wall off turn four. TVideo replays seemed to indicate that it was a case of overdriving on Stenhouse's part that triggered the incident.

Both drivers made it to pit road without the caution flag coming out, but it flew shortly thereafter when Johanna Long blew a right front tire and slammed the wall. Long had run well all race before wrecking to draw the seventh caution in what has been a wreckfest.

Austin Dillon leads ahead of Paul Menard, Ryan Blaney, Kenny Wallace, and Michael Annett. Point leader Elliott Sadler runs seventh while Stenhouse is 22nd, two laps off the pace.

• 8 months ago
• Update
• 0 comments

1. Link
2. Facebook
3. Twitter

Kansas Lottery 300 Update: Four cautions in opening 50 laps

The Nationwide Series Kansas Lottery 300 is at one quarter of its distance, and already there have been four caution flags in the first 50 laps of the race.

Brian Scott has brought out two of those yellows after starting third and running in the runner-up spot early on. He spun off turn four to draw the first yellow of the race on lap 14, then spun again off turn two on lap 40. Scott's loopty-loops sandwiched a meeting with the wall by Australian Scott Saunders. Most recently, Dexter Stacy spun in turn four and smacked the wall.

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. holds the lead after not pitting under the third yellow flag of the race. He'd stopped earlier after Scott's first incident and remained on track to gain the track position. Paul Menard runs second, while Elliott Sadler is keeping championship rival Stenhouse in plain sight as he holds down the third position. Austin Dillon and Kyle Busch complete the top-five.

Sam Hornish Jr. runs sixth, with Danica Patrick, Kenny Wallace, Cole Whitt, and Justin Allgaier completing the top-10.