SB Nation Atlanta - NASCAR Martinsville 2011: Kevin Harvick Beats Dale Earnhardt Jr. For His Second-Straight Winhttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46601/atlanta-fave.png2011-04-04T08:00:37-04:00http://atlanta.sbnation.com/rss/stream/18423492011-04-04T08:00:37-04:002011-04-04T08:00:37-04:00NASCAR Results From Martinsville: Kevin Harvick Wins, Kyle Busch Takes Point Lead
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<p>Kevin Harvick won Sunday's Goody's Fast Relief 500, becoming the first Sprint Cup driver to win two races in the young 2011 season. To score his first victory at Martinsville Speedway and the first for Richard Childress Racing since 1995 with the late Dale Earnhardt, Harvick had to run down Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the race's closing laps. He made the winning pass with four laps to go and pulled away for his second consecutive victory, having won last week, while Earnhardt Jr. nipped Kyle Busch - who he had nudged past to grab the lead - for second.</p>
<p>Busch's third-place effort, combined with an 18th place run for Carl Edwards gave the Joe Gibbs Racing driver the point lead for the second time this season. All six races this season have featured a different point leader than the man who held the lead after the previous event. Ironically, it was Edwards from whom Busch took the point lead for the first time, after the season's second race at Phoenix when they tangled and Edwards crashed. A blown engine a week later at Las Vegas dropped him out of the top spot.</p>
<p>Juan Pablo Montoya recorded his second top-five of the year, coming home fourth. His fourth top-ten finish of 2011 bumped him to seventh in the standings, 21 ahead of 11th-placed Tony Stewart. After missing the Chase last season, Montoya's steady approach has him well placed to duplicate his 2009 feat of qualifying for the NASCAR playoff.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon finished fifth after starting a Martinsville career-worst 21st. The active wins leader at the track, with seven, led 37 laps but was passed by Busch just prior to the 400-lap mark. Matt Kenseth came home sixth, a strong recovery at what is arguably his worst track after being penalized by NASCAR for changing lanes before crossing the start-finish line on the initial start of the race. After losing a lap, Kenseth recieved the free pass after a vicious accident involving Martin Truex Jr. and Kasey Kahne.</p>
<p>The top ten was rounded out by polesitter Jamie McMurray in seventh, Unadilla's David Ragan in eighth, Clint Bowyer in ninth, and Mark Martin in tenth. McMurray and Ragan both recorded their first top-ten finishes of the 2011 season, while Bowyer led 91 laps - second to Busch's 151 - before fading outside the top-ten in the race's late stages. He recovered for his second-straight top-ten finish. Martin, like Kenseth, was penalized for an improper lane change on a restart early in the event.</p>
<p>Between them, Jimmie Johnson (65) and Denny Hamlin (89) led 154 laps Sunday, but neither figured into the finish after having their races go south nearly simultaneously. Hamlin made his final pit stop of the day under green, along with A.J. Allmendinger who had run in the top-five, just before Regan Smith spun to draw the race's last caution flag. As the rest of the teams made their stops under the yellow, Johnson was ticketed for speeding and forced to the tail end of the field. Johnson wound up 11th, while Hamlin placed 12th.</p>
<p>Busch holds a five-point lead over Edwards after six races in the 2011 Sprint Cup season. Johnson, Kurt Busch - who finished 16th - and Harvick round out the top-five. Ryan Newman had a tough day and fell from second to sixth, while Montoya's top-five got him up to seventh. Though he could not break a 98-race winless streak, Earnhardt's runner-up effort bumped him four spots in the standings up to 8th.Kenseth and Martin currently round out the top-ten.</p>
<p>The big losers on the day were 34th-place finisher Tony Stewart and Paul Menard, who finished 38th. They entered the race ranked sixth and seventh, respectively, but both fell outside the top-ten in points. Stewart now sits just one point behind Martin for tenth, while Menard is 11 points back.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/4/2089656/nascar-results-martinsville-speedway-2011Aaron Rosser2011-04-03T17:24:38-04:002011-04-03T17:24:38-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Results: Kevin Harvick Wins Goody's Fast Relief 500
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<p>For the second week in a row, Kevin Harvick took Richard Childress Racing's No. 29 Chevrolet to victory lane for his first win at a track in thrilling fashion. Last week he passed Jimmie Johnson in the final corner to win at Auto Club Speedway. Today, he passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. with three laps remaining and pulled away to his sixteenth win and his first short-track triumph since Richmond in September of 2006.</p>
<p>Earnhardt Jr, trying to break a 98-race winless streak, used the bumper on Kyle Busch to take the lead with less than 20 laps remaining but was unable to hold off Harvick's charge. Busch pulled alongside him on the final lap, with Earnhardt winning the drag race for second place. Busch led a race high 151 laps and took the point lead with his third-place result.</p>
<p>Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon were fourth and fifth. The top ten was filled out by Matt Kenseth, pole sitter Jamie McMurray, David Ragan, Clint Bowyer, and Mark Martin.</p>
<p>The race's final cauton, for a spin by Regan Smith, changed the complexion of the race for two contenders. Denny Hamlin fell off the lead lap, having pitted just before Smith's incident. Then, Jimmie Johnson was tabbed for speeding and forced to the rear of the field. Johnson recovered for 11th while Hamlin was 12th.</p>
<p>Carl Edwards led his first ever lap at Martinsville, but it was not enough for him to hold the Sprint Cup point lead. For the sixth time in six races this year, the point leader from the previous event failed to hold the top spot. He now sits second, seven points behind Busch.</p>
<p>The race's most spectacular moment came when Martin Truex Jr's suffered a stuck throttle on lap 221. His Toyota rear-ended Kasey Kahne, then speared the wall in turn three. Both drivers were uninjured but Truex's impact damaged the SAFER barrier, forcing NASCAR to red flag the race for 25 minutes while it was repaired.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088899/nascar-martinsville-results-kevin-harvick-wins-goodys-fast-relief-500Aaron Rosser2011-04-03T16:47:23-04:002011-04-03T16:47:23-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: Kyle Busch Leads With 100 Laps Left
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<p>With just 100 laps remaining, Kyle Busch's Joe Gibbs Racing Camry paces the Goody's Fast Relief 500. Jeff Gordon runs second, followed by Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, and A.J. Allmendinger.</p>
<p>Martinsville is the only track that hosts the three national NASCAR circuits that Busch has never won on. His best Sprint Cup finish is fourth, while he finished fifth in yesterday's Camping World Truck Series race after a bump and run by Johnny Sauter.</p>
<p>Clint Bowyer, who had run near the front over the last 200 laps, has fallen nearly outside the top-10, while David Reutimann, who ran in the top-ten all race, has faded outside the top-15.</p>
<p>The race has been mostly clean since several successive multi-car accidents as the race neared it's halfway point. There has been plenty of the traditional Martinsville car contact, but tempers have not flared significantly. As the race dwindles, however, that is likely to change.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088812/nascar-martinsville-update-kyle-busch-leads-with-100-laps-leftAaron Rosser2011-04-03T15:46:09-04:002011-04-03T15:46:09-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: Denny Hamlin Leads Martinsville Wreckfest Just After Halfway
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<p>Denny Hamlin leads the Goody's Fast Relief 500 just past the halfway point of what has been a typical Martinsville race. He overtook Clint Bowyer at lap 260 to move out front after leading 32 laps early. Dale Earnhardt Jr. runs third, followed by Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Kyle Busch, and pole sitter Jamie McMurray.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon, the all-time active winner at Martinsville with seven victories, took the lead from Bowyer, who led at halfway, just past halfway but was quickly drop-kicked outside the top five.</p>
<p>The race has been slowed by eight cautions so far, mostly due to right-front tire failures, but there have been four wrecks resulting from car-to-car contact. Michael McDowell dumped Marcos Ambrose at lap 124. Martin Truex Jr. suffered a stuck throttle and collected Kasey Kahne before slamming the turn three wall with incredible force. Truex and Kahne were uninjured, but both of their Toyotas are headed for the scrap heap. Truex's impact with the wall did damage to the SAFER barrier, necessitating a 25-minute red flag period.</p>
<p>Just after the restart from that accident, Kurt Busch and Brian Vickers tangled and when it was over, Bobby Labonte's Toyota had slammed the wall in nearly the same spot Truex hit. Labonte started 7th and ran in the top-15 the entire race before his crash. After <em>that</em> crash, Busch's teammate Brad Keselowski ran into Paul Menard, spinning the No. 27 car and collecting McDowell and Casey Mears.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088715/nascar-martinsville-update-denny-hamlin-leads-martinsville-wreckfestAaron Rosser2011-04-03T15:04:10-04:002011-04-03T15:04:10-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: Martin Truex Jr. Walks Away From Horrific Crash
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<p>Martin Truex Jr. has walked away from one of the worst crashes in recent memory at Martinsville Speedway, suffering a stuck throttle entering the third turn and spearing the wall nearly head on. He collected Kasey Kahne, who started third today, on his path into the SAFER barrier, but both drivers were uninjured.</p>
<p>Because the area of the wall Truex hit was damaged, NASCAR has red flaged the race after 222 of 250 laps for repairs. Clint Bowyer currently holds the top spot over Juan Pablo Montoya and Jeff Gordon. Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. round out the top five. Ryan Newman runs sixth, followed by Jamie McMurray, Denny Hamlin, and Jimmie Johnson, all of whom have led significant chunks of the race. Unadilla's David Ragan currently runs 10th in his Roush-Fenway Racing Ford.</p>
<p>Truex's accident drew the race's sixth caution, but only the second not due to tire failures. David Gilliland, Dave Blaney (twice), and Hermie Sadler both blew right front tires, while Michael McDowell intentionally sent Marcos Ambrose into the turn one wall on lap 124.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088637/nascar-martinsville-update-martin-truex-jr-walks-away-from-horrificAaron Rosser2011-04-03T14:26:28-04:002011-04-03T14:26:28-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: Clint Bowyer Out Front After 150 Laps, Michael McDowell Wrecks Marcos Ambrose
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<p>Clint Bowyer's Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet is out front after 150 laps in today's Goody's Fast Relief 500. JImmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and David Reutimann round out the top five. The top ten is filled out by Jamie McMurray, Ryan Newman, A.J. Allmendinger, David Ragan, and Juan Pablo Montoya. Bowyer took the lead from Hamlin on lap 134, the first time he has ever led at the Martinsville Speedway.</p>
<p>Hamlin snagged the top spot on lap 124, overhauling Johnson who had, for the second time in the race taken the lead on pit stops under caution.</p>
<p>As Hamlin grabbed the lead, Michael McDowell sent Marcos Ambrose hard into the turn one wall, doing heavy damage to the rear of Ambrose's No. 9 Ford. Ambrose had cut across the nose of McDowell's Toyota and McDowell laid into his back bumper the rest of the front straightaway. FOX played audio of McDowell, typically a start and park driver but running the entire race today, declaring to his team that he "won't take it."</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088608/nascar-martinsville-update-clint-bowyer-out-front-after-150-lapsAaron Rosser2011-04-03T14:05:10-04:002011-04-03T14:05:10-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: Kyle Busch Leads At Lap 100, Carl Edwards Struggling
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<p>Kyle Busch's best career finish at Martinsville is fourth, but his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota is out front after 100 laps of the Goody's Fast Relief 500. Busch took the lead from Johnson at lap 77. Johnson gained the top spot leaving pit road during the first caution flag of the race.</p>
<p>Denny Hamlin, polesitter Jamie McMurray, and David Reutimann round out the top five.</p>
<p>Point leader Edwards lost the power steering in his Ford, continuing his Martinsville struggles and the trend of the point lead being the place <em>not</em> to be. He currently runs 20th. No point leader entering an event has held the top-spot exiting any of the five races this season, and Edwards is likely to be victimized by that "curse" for the second time this year. He had the lead leaving the Daytona 500, but crashed at Phoenix.</p>
<p>Jeff Gordon, the leading active driver in wins at Martinsville, currently runs 12th after starting a career-worst 25th at the .526-mile track.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088567/nascar-martinsville-update-kyle-busch-leads-at-lap-100-carl-edwardsAaron Rosser2011-04-03T13:38:05-04:002011-04-03T13:38:05-04:00NASCAR Martinsville Update: So Far, So Good For Denny Hamlin Through 50 Laps
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<p>Denny Hamlin's pursuit of four-straight Martinsville victories is off to a great start. Hamlin leads the Goody's Fast Relief 500 through 50 laps, currently under a caution flag following a flat tire for David Gilliland. Hamlin's Toyota is followed by Ryan Newman, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, and Jimmie Johnson. Polesitter Jamie McMurray has faded to 7th after leading the first 31 laps.</p>
<p>Point leader Carl Edwards rides 17th, up six spots from his 23rd place qualifying effort.</p>
<p>He immediately jumped out front and stretched the gap to nearly two seconds over Kahne within 15 laps. Kahne chased him down to grab the lead at lap 32, however, taking Newman and Hamlin with him. A lap later, Newman took over the top spot, but Hamlin snatched it away on lap 35 and set sail.</p>
<p>Matt Kenseth's Martinsville misery continued. He was penalized for changing his lane before crossing the start finish line, forcing him to make a pass through penalty that dropped him a lap down.</p>
https://atlanta.sbnation.com/nascar/2011/4/3/2088540/nascar-martinsville-update-so-far-so-good-for-denny-hamlin-through-50Aaron Rosser