Kentucky-New Hampshire weekend

                                                                  "Kentucky 300”

SPARTA, KENTUCKY – The Nationwide Series is getting down to their final seven races of the 2013 season. Sam Hornish Jr. (12) holds a 17 point lead over Austin Dillon (3) at this point. Third place is 36 points behind the leader, which is nearly a full race out of the lead. Both drivers have been doing well in recent weeks, as they both will need to keep this going to take the title at the season’s end. Sam Hornish Jr. was able to take the Pole position for this race over 19 year old Ryan Blaney (22). This gave Roger Penske the front row for only the second time in history. A new rule was established this week, as now the second place car is able to beat the leader, if the leader does not take the opportunity to start the race in the “Starter’s Box.” This is an area in which the leader can start the race, prior to the green flag being dropped. If the driver decides not to start before the green flag is thrown, then the second place car does have the right to beat the leader to the start/finish line. If this happened in the past, the second place car would receive a “Black Flag” which was a penalty for beating the leader to the start/finish line. The penalty forced that driver to make a run down pit road under green conditions.

In Opening Ceremonies, there was a minute of silence held for the victims of the Navy Yard killings in Washington, DC. 12 people lost their lives, along with the shooter. Pastor Larry Campbell provided the Invocation. Jamison Road sang the National Anthem. Frank Kimmel was the Grand Marshall.
There were “NO” Cup drivers in this race. One issue the drivers will deal with in the race, being the track was washed off by rain, and the ARCA Series ran, laying down some “Hoosier” rubber. Justin Allgaier (31), Matt Crafton (33) and Joey Coulter (18) will start from the rear for changes they made to their race cars. A “Competition Caution” was scheduled for lap 25, due to the rain that fell in the morning and overnight as well.

On lap 4, Nelson Piquet Jr. (30) tagged the wall and did not make a pit stop, nor did NASCAR throw a caution flag. He was running eleventh at the time of this incident. The “Competition Caution” flew on lap 26.

On lap 35, Travis Pastrana (60) was spun out after contact with Austin Dillon (3). Then again on lap 61, Pastrana crashed hard into the outside wall for the third caution of the race.

On lap 101, Rookie Kyle Larsen (32) started having issues. He took his car to pit road, after having fuel, vibration and brake issues in the early laps of the race.

On lap 107, Harrison Rhodes (23) brought out the fourth caution when he tagged the wall. During the restart, Brad Sweet (5) spun out. That brought out another caution right away.
While racing hard, Justin Allgaier (31) tried to slide down in front of Matt Crafton (33) when he bobbled and slid up the track and touching the wall. He did lose many positions.

On lap 162, Brad Sweet was the cause of another caution, when his car started on fire on track. He was turned into the outside wall by Jeb Burton (34), son of Ward Burton. Brian Scott (2) also was tagged with a penalty for speeding on entry to pit road. A few cars were on pit road when the caution flew, so they will need to take the wave around, to get back on the lead lap. Brian Scott and Trevor Bayne were two of those cars.

The seventh caution flew on lap 173 for Jeffrey Earnhardt (79) spinning out on track. Johanna Long (70) received the “Lucky Dog” to get back on the lead lap. NASCAR also warned Sam Hornish Jr. (12) about his restarts on the rules.

On lap 181, Regan Smith brought out the eighth caution for a spin on track. The ninth and final caution flew just laps later on lap 188, when Parker Kligerman (77) attempted to pull down in front of Cole Whitt (44) and was not in the right place, as he tagged the front of Whitt’s car and that sent him into the outside wall. This ended his race, and he was not happy when he spoke to media after being let out of the medical shack. He did run his mouth about Cole Whitt being at fault, when it was his own fault for the wreck.

19 year old Ryan Blaney (22) took the lead on the restart, and did not look back. He beat Austin Dillon (3). This was the tenth victory with the fourth driver in the 22 car this season. The “Owners Points” is now led by the 22 Roger Penske Ford car by 23 points over the 54 Joe Gibbs Toyota.

The rest of the top ten were: Matt Crafton (33), Sam Hornish Jr. (12), Alex Bowman (99), Drew Herring (54), Brian Vickers (20), Jeb Burton (34), Cole Whitt (44) and Michael Annett (43). The Championship is now down to 15 points between first and second place drivers, Hornish Jr. and Dillon.

The next race will be at Dover on Saturday at 3:30 PM EST on ESPN.




                                                                    “Sylvania 300”

LOUDON, NEW HAMPSHIRE- The Sprint Cup Series showed up for their second race of the Chase at the 1.5 mile high-speed, short track. Ryan Newman (39) was able to set a new track record for the Pole position. He ran a 27.904/136.497 mph lap. Kasey Kahne (5) also broke the track record with a 27.989/136.082 mph lap. Gretchen Wilson was singing at the start of the pre-race ceremonies. Matt Kenseth (20) started his 500th start in a silver/black race car. The In-Race Reporter was Kevin Harvick (29). There was a “Competition Caution” scheduled for lap 30, due to overnight rain at the track. Just as last night’s race in the NNS Series, this race was scheduled for 200 laps, 300 miles.

In Opening Ceremonies, Pastor Landon Clouse provided the Invocation after a “Moment of Silence” was held for the victims of the Navy Yard killings in Washington, DC. A pre-teen, young girl Caroline Burns sang the National Anthem, while a B-17 Flying Fortress flew over the track.

Josh Wise (35) brought out the caution on lap 30, just as the Competition Caution was ready to be thrown. Michael McDowell (51) helped Wise spin out, as he tagged him coming through the corner. Jeff Gordon (24) was hit by (34) on pit road as the 34 was making his pit stop, Gordon was inside of him. There was minor damage to Gordon’s fender. During the pit stops, Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s (88) team dropped his car down, with lugs still lose. He had to make an additional stop on pit road to tighten the lugs and take on left side tires as well. He fell from the teens to thirtieth place.

On lap 38, Jamie McMurray (1) was tagged by teammate Juan Montoya (42) and spun out. Kevin Swindell (30) also spun and hit the outside wall hard.

On lap 52, Bobby Labonte (47) had a spin after a rear tire blew out. David Gilliland (38) also ran into Labonte, creating damage to his race car.

There was a caution for a spin on lap 164, and a debris caution on lap 200. The leader Jeff Gordon brought everyone down pit road. Gordon would slide thru his box and have to back up, after the team started to jack his car up.  He fell from the lead back to twenty-second place.

On lap 245, David Gilliland (38) brought out the caution once again after his oil cooler broke on his race car.

Kasey Kahne (5) snapped loose on lap 252, crashing hard into the inside wall, ending his day. He was running in the eighth position when this happened. This was the seventh and final caution of the race.

On the restart, Matt Kenseth (20) was able to outrun his teammate Kyle Busch (18) for the second week in a row for another victory, starting the Chase off with two wins back to back. This made it his seventh win of the season as well. Kenseth holds a 14 point lead of Busch now in the Championship run. Kenseth joins Richard Petty (43) with winning on his 500th start.

The rest of the top ten were: Greg Biffle (16), Jimmie Johnson (48), Jamie McMurray (1), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Brian Vickers (55), Jeff Burton (31), Carl Edwards (99) and Martin Truex Jr. (56). Truex Jr. led the most laps in the race with 98.

The points are as follows: Kenseth (20) leader, Kyle Busch (18) (-14), Johnson (48) (-18), Edwards (99) (-36), Biffle (16) (-38), Harvick (29) (-39), Kurt Busch (78) (-40), Gordon (24) (-42), Newman (39) (-47), Bowyer (15) (-48), Earnhardt Jr. (88) (-62), Lagono (22) (-69) and Kahne (5) (-71).

The next race will be on Sunday at Dover on ESPN at 1 PM EST.

Elmwood Board Report for September 2013

                                            “Elmwood Village considering cutting down Historical Tree”

Submitted by Rick A. Talford
Citizen Journalist

ELMWOOD, WI- The Elmwood Board met on Monday September 9, 2013 in the Village Auditorium. The meeting began at 6:55 PM. Trustee Delorse Radtke was absent from this month’s meeting. In Public Input, Keith and Linda Bernhardt spoke to the board in regards of the huge “White Pine” that sits in the roadway at the intersection of Scott and May Ave., near the school. Upon contacting the village clerk about the possible demolition of this tree that has been under attack, numerous times in the past sixty-plus years, I was sent an email back that stated “Village Public Works Director (Jamie Reitz) has determined that this tree is in serious decline and it needs to be looked more closely and probably removed. This meeting was properly and correctly posted but there was not one person from the public who attended this meeting to express any concerns. It has mushrooms growing from the tree not on the tree that it indicative of decay/disease and Jamie has a suspicion the base is hollow. Jamie is worried that this tree will do more damage if left to further decay and possibly injure life and property. We need to look at all angles of this tree not just some people’s personal feelings about this tree. Unfortunately we are in a position with this tree that will make no one happy, we are either upsetting the people who feel this tree is a landmark and needs to be preserved or will be held responsible/condemned if this tree is left to further decay and then causes injuries or God forbid a death when it comes down in a storm or unexpectedly!! Also it should be noted that this tree is in the ROW (Right of Way) and our responsible to maintain or remove if necessary. (Note- The agenda for this meeting did not specifically list this tree as a problem being looked into.) ” Mr. Bernhardt explained to the Board, that he has requested a second opinion in writing to them, and was wondering if that has been received. Village Clerk Amy Wayne stated “None has been found yet, so we are in limbo.” Village President Bill Stewart agreed with Mr. Bernhardt that if the historic tree is ok (healthy), then it would be saved, as it has been a few times in recent years. Stewart added, “It would be neat if we could do something, and it’s on hold.” Trustee Brian Buck then stated “You can check the minutes to see if anything has been done.” Stewart then spoke to Bernhardt, stating “I am compelled to tell you that it’s in the roadway, and we can do what we want with it. There are safety and liability reasons.” Bernhardt listened to what was being stated, and replied that he would, as the property owner, at least like to be contacted if anything was going to be done. He was never informed about this action, and felt the Village could have at least gave him a courtesy call, when they started the talk about it being removed. Stewart agreed, “A courtesy call could have been made.” If the tree is diseased or failing in a way that it needs to be removed, Bernhardt has no argument about it, but would like the chance at getting the wood, being he has been paying the taxes for the property that it stands on. If the tree is healthy however, he would ask that the village leave it standing, as it does have an historical value to the community. (Note- you can read up on this tree in the 2005 Centennial Book that was created and released “Life in the Valley, Elmwood’s First 100 years” by the Elmwood Historical Book Committee. There has been talk of a petition being started to save the tree from destruction, just like in the past when the village targeted the tree with the same claims back in 1986. At that time, the tree was listed by the DNR as the 10th Largest tree in Wisconsin, in an article by the Milwaukee Journal. In the centennial book, it adds that a recent book through the DNR still listed the “Famous” tree as a “Champion”, in a book called Wisconsin’s Champion Trees, by Bruce Allison. This information was submitted by Joanne Baier of Elmwood, for the book.

The board then approved the Elmwood Rod and Gun Picnic License request, as well as their temporary Operator’s License for an event being held on September 21, 2013. They then moved onto the changes that have been made with the Personnel Policy. Trustee Susan Dzubay stated “We cleaned up the policy, as there was language that was contradictory and for liability reasons, we wanted to make the changes. Spring Valley sent their policy over to us, so we could use theirs as a guide. The bottom line for the board is, we can do whatever we want.” (Note: upon asking for some clarity on exactly what changes were made, I was responded to by email. “There were numerous and various changes, additions and deletions regarding the policy, too many to list. Like Susan Dzubay stated it really was just cleaning up and tailoring the policy to fit the Village of Elmwood.” A couple of Operator’s licenses were then approved for the Cenex.

Next on the agenda, were the possible talks of opening an ATV Trail through the Village. Greg Olson from the Wilson Club, and the Director for the NW Region, spoke to the Board. Larry Johnson from the Pierce County ATV Association was in attendance as well. They attended the meeting, to bring forward information on assisting the village in getting a trail through the community, as they would provide all signage required for the trail. Trustee Brian Buck spoke to everyone, stating that a meeting was held in regards to this subject, and they have considered opening up the talks with the board, as a committee. The possible roads to enter the village are 110th and 50th on the north side of the village. They are also looking at County Road P, near the quarry on the south end of the village. “This would be for the Eau Galle Club,” he added. Other streets that may be looked at opening for ATV travel would be, Winter Ave., Clark St. and Omaha Ave. Buck believes that this will bring more people to the community. Greg Olson then told the board they should look at ATV and side by side UTV’s. His belief is that the majority of riders that use the trails are local residents. He also provided information on new changes to rider laws. There is a “Grandparents Law” now that forces any riders 12-16 years in age, to have an adult with them while riding, they can no longer ride alone. Larry Johnson then provided some contacts on where the village could obtain liability issue information. The ability for riders to get food and fuel is the main areas for this planned trail. There are a few areas, that the trail could be much harder to get approval on, as with any roads that may be State or County Highways. The approval must be received from them before a trail can be completed. Johnson then told the board they could go to the ATV Association website to get ordinance suggestions for the Village. Stewart then stated, “We will get community input on this.”

The Resolution 2013-07 was then discussed. Authorizing Signature on the Safe Deposit Box was then discussed, and newly hired Office Assistant Angie Fisher has had her name added to the list.

Committee and Board Reports followed on the agenda, with Trustee Dzubay speaking on behalf of the Parks and Buildings Committee first. There is a need for repairs in the women’s bathroom, as some plaster has started falling off. The lathe will need to be removed and repairs completed to the area. She then brought up the roof repairs, which are scheduled for September yet. Village Clerk Amy Wayne then added, “We are still waiting on White City Glass to get the door fixed, then we can contact Nevins to complete the linoleum repairs that are needed.” Trustee Buck then spoke for the Personnel and Finance Committee, stating “We received information from the Insurance manager, and he believes we are looking at Wisconsin rates going way up. WI Dept. of Insurers, as of 2014 will no longer take in claims data. They will be using your age, gender and where you live to figure out your costs. We are looking at anywhere from 30-40 percent increases. We had a 23 percent increase last year. That is over 50 percent in two years, which is criminal in my mind. Our employee’s have not even hit their deductible limits.” Buck then spoke on behalf of the Police Committee for Trustee Radtke. “We sold the old squad car for $1,700 and we purchased some items that were wanted for the Police Dept. A new brush guard and spot light have been purchased for the truck. We have also purchased a new vest for the officer to wear, instead of holding all the equipment on a belt as in the past. He will also be wearing a body camera for his safety now. A grant is also getting approved to upgrade the computer system. This will be completely funded by the grant. There was approximately $400 left from the sale of the car, that was placed into the maintenance budget for the truck.

At this meeting, I was able to see the Hi-backed Executive style chairs the Village paid $2,000 on, for the first time. The UFO Days Community Club did not receive any funds for a fireworks display at the end of the event, yet this tax payer money was used to buy these extravagant chairs, for meetings that take an average of a half-hour a month. This is one area that I believe the tax payers could have provided some serious input, on whether this was a real need for the community.

The payment of bills was then discussed, as Clerk Wayne explained that the Cenex bills had not been received, and it was figured they would be near $500 as was the range usually. The meeting then adjourned at 7:35 PM.

Chicago weekend

                                                          “Dollar General 300”

JOLIET, ILLINOIS- The race season is coming close to its end, and the Nationwide drivers came to Chicago to race 200 laps on the 1.5 mile track. Kyle Busch (54) was able to take the pole position. Kenny Wallace started his 900th start in the series on this day as well. There were a handful of Cup drivers entered into this race, as Busch, Kenseth, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Lagono all had double duty on their minds. In
Opening Ceremonies, Jim Cornelison, from the Chicago Blackhawks, sang the National Anthem. Mary Winn Pilkington, of the Dollar General Corp. gave the command to start engines.

On lap 24, Joe Nemechek (87) stalled on the race track to bring out the first caution. A Debris caution was the reason for the second caution of the race. On lap 148, Travis Patrana (60) made a pit stop under green, and was penalized for speeding on exit.

The third caution came on lap 158, when Elliott Sadler (11) was ran into by Brett Butler (24) as he was attempting to make a stop on pit road. While slowing down to get on pit road, his car was run into the back end by Butler, creating severe damage to Butler’s car and plenty of damage to the rear of Elliott’s car.

Another Debris caution flew on lap 166. On lap 175, Rookie Kyle Larson (32) had his day go sour, when a tire failure sent him hard into the outside wall.

On lap 182, the sixth and final caution flew for Regan Smith (7) tagging and spinning Justin Allgaier (31).

After the final restart, Kyle Busch was able to pull away and win the race, after leading 195 of the 200 laps.

The rest of the top ten were: Joey Lagono (22), Sam Hornish Jr. (12), Austin Dillon (3), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88), Brian Vickers (20), Matt Kenseth (18), Parker Kligerman (77), Kevin Harvick (33) and Nelson Piquet Jr. (30).

The next race is on Saturday at Kentucky at 8 PM EST on ESPNEWS. The “Kentucky 300” is the next race.



                                                                           “Geico 400”

JOLIET, ILLINOIS- The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series began their “Chase for the Championship” at Chicago for their tenth season under this configuration for the title. Team Penske was able to take the front row, as Joey Lagono (22) took the Pole, with teammate Brad Keselowski (2) starting second. In Opening Ceremonies, Glenn Spoolstra provided the Invocation, and Danielle Bradley sang the National Anthem. The Grand Marshall’s for the race were actors/actresses of NBC “Chicago Fire”: Jesse Spenser, Taylor Kinney, Eammon Walker, David Eigenberg, Lauren German and Randy Flagler. Chicago Police Dept. Chief John Escante, Joliet Police Dept. Chief Brian Benton and Joliet Fire Dept. Chief Joe Formhals. A “Competition Caution” was scheduled due to the rain that was in the area throughout the day on lap 30.

In other news this week, NASCAR levied some hefty fines and sanction against Michael Waltrip Racing. It was decided by NASCAR after last week’s race that the MWR team intentionally caused the late race caution that enabled Martin Truex Jr. (56) to make it into the Chase. Truex Jr. was disqualified from the Chase and Ryan Newman (39) was placed into the Chase. All three MWR teams were docked 50 points, and Ty Norris was fined $300,000.00. He was also indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for his part in having his team fake a problem, sending Brian Vickers (55) to pit road, giving the points and position to Martin Truex Jr. That is why Truex Jr. made the Chase over Ryan Newman in a tie-breaker.

Jeff Gordon also lost out by one point in making the Chase. After further reviewing of the situation, NASCAR put Jeff Gordon (24) into the Chase as a thirteenth entry, making this year’s Chase one to remember for all that occurred in the final race at Richmond, setting the field for the final ten races of the year. NASCAR chairman Brian France said he had the authority to expand the field to 13 drivers for the first time since the format was implemented 10 years ago. Front Row Motorsports asked for a deal from Penske Racing in the closing laps of at Richmond and then helped make sure Penske's Joey Logano made the Chase field by having one of its drivers, David Gilliland, slow down, according to an Associated Press review of radio communications. France said NASCAR could not determine there was a bargain between Front Row and Penske, but still believed the move was necessary to protect the "integrity" of the series. He said both teams had been placed on probation for the rest of the season. "Too many things altered the event and gave an unfair disadvantage to Jeff and his team," France said. "More than anything it's just the right thing to do. There were just too many things that went on Saturday night." This was reported by NASCAR.

NASCAR also claimed that Clint Bowyer (15) intentionally spun out, while Ryan Newman was leading the race. After the pit stops were made, Newman was no longer the race leader, nor did he win the race. After the race ended, the fans spoke up and out very strongly to NASCAR. Everyone spoke loudly about the removal of all MWR cars from the Chase, putting Gordon and Newman into the Chase in their spots. Near the end of the week, there was even more suspicions that Joey Lagono’s team may have also taken actions to get Lagono into the Chase for the first time in his career. It was speculated that team owner Roger Penske had made a deal with Furniture Row’s team Kurt Busch to help get Lagono into the Chase. This was never proven, but NASCAR made no decisions to dock the team or remove Lagono from the Chase. Manipulating the outcome of a pivotal race was NASCAR’s reason for taking such dramatic actions against the teams involved, as they stated they would not accept this form of cheating in the sport. NASCAR officials had warned in the pre-race driver meeting against competitors attempting to influence the outcome of the race as 10 drivers began Saturday night competing for five available spots in the Chase — "We knew there was potential for this going into this race ... it's like we saw there was potential for fire, but nobody grabbed the extinguisher," Newman said — so Newman said he's eagerly awaiting the results of NASCAR's investigation. This was also reported by NASCAR. Ryan Newman also has some press release this week, as he will drive for RCR next season. Penske and Front Row got a slap on the wrist with probation and a new rule banning digital radios and anyone but the spotter from the roof.

On lap 31, the Competition Caution was thrown. On lap 78, Kurt Busch (78) was penalized for speeding on pit road, and he was forced to make a drive through penalty.

The second caution came out on lap 108, when Cole Whitt (30) spun out, due to a wet race track. The rain began to fall, and a “Red Flag” was thrown on lap 110. Some five hours later, the race would get the restart once again. In the first segment of the race, Joey Lagono (22) and Jimmie Johnson (48) had led the majority of laps. Lagono led 32 and Johnson led 40 laps.

After the restart, on lap 121, the third caution came out for Juan Montoya having a tire failure, that tore the rear corner panel off of the car. There was plenty of debris to get cleaned up, as the rear corner exploded from the tire falling apart.

At the mid-point of the race, the top ten were: Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Almirola, Vickers, Gordon, Kahne, Harvick, Earnhardt Jr. and Lagono.
The fourth caution came on lap 149, when Joey Lagono apparently had an engine starting to smoke. Justin Allgaier (51) was then spun out by Landon Cassill (40) to bring the caution out.

On lap 154, Cole Whitt (30) had a bigger problem, as his car started on fire on the race track. Another caution fell near lap 169, and Earnhardt Jr. ended up with front end damage after cars stopped on pit road, creating a jam up. Jr. would need many stops to tape up the nose of his car. His night only went downhill from there. Shortly after the restart, Brian Vickers (55) had an engine failure.

 Near lap 177, Joey Lagono’s night ended with another engine failure. Less than twenty laps later, David Reutimann (83) also had an engine failure. The fact that the race ran over one hundred laps before the rain caution sat all the cars for over five hours, could be the cause of the engines failing later in the race.

On lap 224, Earnhardt Jr.’s night ended with an engine failure as well. Jr. had just taken the lead on lap 221, when his engine failed yet again this season. On lap 225, Timmy Hill (32) also retired after an engine failure. There was a caution thrown on lap 227.

The final caution came on lap 241, when Cole Whitt had an engine failure. Denny Hamlin (11) also had his night shortened with an engine failure. (NOTE- I missed the end of the race, and found it strange that Cole Whitt would have returned to the race, after his car was on fire at one point. Maybe NASCAR reported this wrong, but that is what was written in the race outline I read)

On the final restart of the race, Matt Kenseth (20) received a “Great” push from Kevin Harvick (29) that launched him out front, where he never looked back and won the race over teammate Kyle Busch (18). This was Kenseth’s sixth win of the season, and a great start for the chase. Kenseth made the statement after the race, that he owes Harvick for the great push he gave him at the last restart. Kenseth led the most laps as well with 89 led.

The rest of the top ten were: Kevin Harvick (29), Kurt Busch (78), Jimmie Johnson (48), Jeff Gordon (24), Brad Keselowski (2), Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17), Clint Bowyer (15) and Ryan Newman (39). Other notables were: Danica Patrick (10) finished on the lead lap in 20th spot. Hamlin was 33rd, Earnhardt Jr. was 35th and Lagono was 37th.

The point standings are as follows: Kenseth (leader), Busch (-8), Johnson (-11), Harvick (-15), Edwards (-23), Busch (-23), Gordon (-24), Newman (-28), Bowyer (-28), Kahne (-31), Biffle (-31), Lagono (-52) and Earnhardt Jr. (-53).

The next race will be on Sunday at New Hampshire at 3 PM EST on ESPN. The “Sylvania 300” is the next race.

Richmond weekend

“Virginia 529 College Savings 250”

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA- The Nationwide Series have started to wind down their season. This race marked the 1000^th NNS race. Brian Scott (2) took the Pole ahead of Matt Kenseth (18). Due to a medical emergency with my wife, I missed the race. I have looked up and reviewed as much information as I could to do a report on the race.

There were seven cautions in the race, with them falling on laps: 16, 68, 134, 173, 231, 236 and 241. On lap 236, Matt Kenseth was involved in an accident that took his chances at a victory away. The final caution had Travis Pastrana (60) and Landon Cassill (4) getting together on track.

There was only one lead change in the entire race, as Brian Scott dominated all but eleven laps. Scott led the first 239 laps of the 250 lap race, as Brad Keselowski (22) was able to beat Scott on the final two restarts to take the victory away from a dominant driver and car. This marked Keselowski’s fifth win in the series this season.

Scott’s team made a plea to NASCAR on the final two restarts, that Keselowski jumped the restarts both times. The first one appeared to be spinning of the tires by Scott, and the second one was led by Keselowski.

The rest of the top ten were: Brian Scott (2), Regan Smith (7), Kyle Busch (54), Trevor Bayne (6), Sam Hornish Jr. (12), Brian Vickers (20), Elliott Sadler (11), Ryan Reed (16) and Jamie McMurray (5).

The next race will be at Chicago on Saturday on ESPN2 at 3:30 PM EST.

“Federated Auto Parts 400”

RICHMOND, VIRGINIA- The final race of the regular season was in Richmond. The end result of this race, sets the “Chase for the Championship 2013” Jeff Gordon (24) needed to have another performance like last year, to get into the Chase. He started the weekend off in a great manner, as he set a new track record taking the Pole Position. Kurt Busch (78) is another driver trying to get his team into the Chase, as a single car team from Denver, CO. 400 laps on the ¾ mile track was scheduled as the regular season finale. 

In other news this week, Jimmie Johnson and his wife celebrated the birth of another daughter. Johnson will need to start at the rear of the field, as he has not drove one lap in this car in preparing for this weekend’s race. Jeff Burton (31) has reported that he will not return to the RCR team next season. There are rumors that Ryan Newman may take his spot next season. Tony Stewart made his attendance at Richmond with a fancy new scooter to get him around the race track.

In Opening Ceremonies, Rev. DR. Michael Fitzgerald provided the Invocation. The 29^th Division Army Band played the National Anthem. The Grand Marshall was Frank Mazzoli Jr. from Federated Auto Parts. The In-race Reporter was Martin Truex Jr., another driver that needs good things to happen to make the Chase.

The first 49 laps of the race were controlled by Jeff Gordon, before he gave up the lead to Brad Keselowski (2). Kurt Busch (78) then took the lead away near lap 70. A round of “Green Flag” stops began around lap 95, with Jimmie Johnson (48) being tagged for speeding on pit road. He had just fell one lap down on track, and lost an additional lap from the penalty. Johnson had a 77 point lead just five races ago, and that has been completely deleted by Clint Bowyer (15), as Johnson has had really bad luck.

A “Caution” for debris came out on lap 136, for debris that was never shown to viewers. The claim was debris in turn three. They took five laps to get restarted.

On lap 208, the second caution came out for a spin by David Stremme (30). On lap 218, Johnson’s night went downhill more. He started smelling something burning in his car, and took his car to pit road. They stated the battery was the issue. Just five laps later, teammate Jeff Gordon entered pit road for a loose wheel. Gordon fell back two laps because a tire was not secured correctly. This was a mistake the team could not have, if they had any expectations of making the Chase.

On lap 268, the third caution flew for debris again on track. This was never shown to the viewers again. Juan Montoya (42) was caught speeding on pit road, and did not return for a drive through penalty. NASCAR forced him to do so, after the race went back to green.

On lap 342, Johnson’s night got even worse, as a tire blew, sending him into the outside wall. NASCAR did not throw the caution when this happened. They waited for Johnson to go all the way around the track for a lap, then they threw it. There were many cars that were making green flag stop’s, and if the caution would have been thrown when he hit the wall (as they normally do), many of these drivers would have driven straight through the pits to stay on the lead lap. Instead many cars were forced to take a wave around, placing many leaders to the rear of the field. This changed the race conclusion dramatically.

The fifth and final caution came on lap 393, when Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) got Clint Bowyer (15) loose, to where Bowyer spun out. This brought the races conclusion  to a three lap shoot-out. 

On the restart, after making pit stops, Paul Menard (27) came out as the leader. Carl Edwards (99) jumped the restart and beat Menard to the start/finish line, which NASCAR should have penalized him for. NASCAR failed to do so, and Edwards took the victory over Kurt Busch (78). This was very clear to see during the replay, that Edwards jumped the start and beat the leader of the race to the start/finish line. The failures of NASCAR in their calls, has become a serious issue this season. The fact that they waited to call the caution with Jimmie Johnson issues, dramatically changed who was up front, and sent some of the best cars to the rear of the field. Then allowing Edwards to jump the start, took the victory away from drivers that performed well.

The rest of the top ten: Ryan Newman (39), Jamie McMurray (1), Paul Menard (27), Matt Kenseth (20), Martin Truex Jr. (56), Jeff Gordon (24), Mark Martin (14) and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17). Gordon missed the Chase by one point, and Newman missed the Chase by a tie-breaker.

The Chase is set as follows: Matt Kenseth (20) (leader with 5 wins), Jimmie Johnson (48) (4 wins) -3, Kyle Busch (18) (4 wins) -3, Kevin Harvick (29) (2 wins) -9, Carl Edwards (99) (2 wins) -9, Joey Lagono (22) (1 win) -12, Greg Biffle (16) (1 win) -12, Clint Bowyer (15) (no wins) -15, Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) (no wins) -15, Kurt Busch (78) (no wins) -15, Kasey Kahne (5) (wild card with 2 wins) -15 and Martin Truex Jr. (56) (wild card with 1 win) -15.

The next race will be at Chicago on ESPN next Sunday at 1 PM EST. This will be race number one of the ten race, “Chase to the Championship” 

Atlanta weekend

“ATLANTA 300”

HAMPTON, GEORGIA- the Nationwide Series has entered the final ten races of the season. A 1.5 mile fast track was the location of a 195 lap race. The Pole position was won by Kyle Busch (54) over Austin Dillon (3). In opening ceremonies, a pastor provided the Invocation. Candy Nicole sang the National Anthem. Greg Thomas, from Great Clips was the Grand Marshall. The In-Race Reporter was Joey Lagono (22). 

There were four cup drivers in this race, Kevin Harvick (33), Kyle Busch (54), Kasey Kahne (5) and Joey Lagono (22). One of three biggest issues for this race was the fact that the teams only had four sets of tires to race the near two-hundred laps. If they pit every forty laps, would give them even time on each set. 

On lap 35, Alex bowman (99) had troubles with a lame engine. His luck in the second half of the season has really gone downhill quickly.

On lap 37, the first caution came out for Robert Richardson (23) spinning out. Just after the pit stops, Kasey Kahne (5) spun out on fresh tires; bring the second caution out on lap 43. Kahne was given an additional set of tires after his spin, due to the minimal laps he ran, before he had issues. This could be viewed as a poor choice by NASCAR, the spin could have been the drivers fault, and they awarded him another set of tires. During his spin, Nelson Piquet Jr. (30) ran up and into the front end of Travis Pastrana (60), sending Pastrana very close to hitting the wall. Piquet Jr. did have rear damage that sent him to pit road for repairs.

On lap 58, Kyle Busch (54) had his lead taken away by a fast charging Kevin Harvick (33), who started in twentieth position. On lap 86, Joey Lagono (22) had a tire fail and that sent him into the outside wall. He then went to pit road for repairs, without any caution coming out. The rest of the field began hitting pit road in just a few laps afterwards, allowing Lagono to be right back where he was running in second place when his tire sent him into the wall. On lap 91, when the leader made his pit stop, Harvick had nearly a seven second lead.

At the halfway mark of the race, the top ten were: Harvick, Lagono, Dillon, Bayne, Larson, Hornish Jr., Kahne and Patrana.

The third caution came out on lap 104, for debris. Once again, this Debris was never shown to viewers. None of the drivers made pit stops on the caution, as they just finished making green flag stops.

On lap 165, Harvick reported trouble with his “Bad Boys Buggies” Chevrolet. He felt a vibration that was getting worse as he went along. His crew chief told him to keep running the car and feel it out, before bringing it into pit road. Harvick has won a race in Atlanta in the Nationwide Series prior, and he has lost the last two years, after leading the most laps in both races. With less than thirty laps in 2011, he was overtaken for the victory, and last year with the win being only a lap away, he fell victim to lap traffic and was passed by Stenhouse Jr. and Keselowski for the win. For the third straight year, Harvick dominated the race and felt the win was not coming his way.

On lap 179, the fourth and final caution flew when Jeff Green (14) attempted to slide up in front of Ken Butler (24), without being clear. He ran into Butler and the two cars crashed hard into the outside wall. Green’s car was destroyed as he slapped the wall a couple times with both ends of the race car. With only seven laps left after pit stops were made, everyone put on four new tires to challenge Harvick for the win. Kyle Busch (54) raced Harvick (33) hard for every one of the final laps, but was not able to overtake Harvick on this night. Reporters attempted to speak to Busch as he was storming away from the track, and he was as “pissy” as he usually gets, when he does not win. This is still the same behavior that everyone claims Busch has matured from. In this fans opinion, Busch has not changed any over the years. If he does not take the victory, he storms away and refuses to speak to the media in a decent fashion. 

The rest of the top ten were: Sam Hornish Jr. (12), Kasey Kahne (5), Kyle Larson (32), Joey Lagono (22), Trevor Bayne (6), Austin Dillon (3), Regan Smith (7) and Brian Scott (2). Both Lagono and Dillon started on row two at the restart, but both were shuffled backwards quickly as they did not get good restarts. Travis Pastrana (60) also finished the race, sliding through the infield past the start/finish line.

The next race will be at Richmond next Friday night at 7 PM EST on ESPN.

Chase Elliott just won his first NASCAR Truck Series race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park!

Chase is now the youngest winner/Pole Setter in NASCAR Truck Series history, at 17 years of age.

“ADVOCARE 500”

HAMPTON, GEORGIA- the Sprint Cup Series still has twelve races left of the season. In news this week, Bobby Labonte (51) will miss the race, after falling off his bike and breaking three ribs at an event. After last week’s wreck at Bristol, both Martin Truex Jr. (56) and Denny Hamlin (11) have broken wrists. They both still plan on racing this week’s race. Jeff Gordon (24) was in the news, as his bus started on fire and burned on a Georgia Highway. Gordon was not on the bus at the time of the incident. In big news, Kyle Larson has been hired to drive the (42) Earnhardt-Genassi Racing “Target” car next year, as Juan Montoya has been released from the team at season end. Talk around NASCAR has Montoya returning to INDY Racing. Larson is a very strong “Rookie of the Year” contender in the Nationwide Series, and EGR believes he is plenty ready to move up to the Cup Series next year. He will drive a few Cup races before this season ends. AJ Allmendinger reclaimed a full-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series. JTG Daugherty Racing announced Saturday that Allmendinger will take over the No. 47 car from Bobby Labonte next season, capping his comeback from a positive drug test in July 2012 that resulted in a NASCAR suspension and losing his job with Roger Penske's Sprint Cup team. Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (17) has taken his first “Pole” of his season, beating teammate Carl Edwards (99). The race was scheduled for 325 laps. A new tire compound was brought to this race by Goodyear. It is called Zone Tread Technology, the tire is put together in three sections from the outside edge to the inside edge. The outside edge, for nearly three inches is a hardest compound to wear down. Then a second section near the same width is a softer, but still strong compound. The rest of the tire is the softest compound for normal race wear.

A “Competition Caution” was scheduled for lap 25, due to rains that fell earlier in the day. In Opening Ceremonies, Chappy Kevin Hynes provided the Invocation. Chappy is a Georgia Bulldogs Chaplain. Ernie Hass and the Signature Sound belted out a great rendition of the National Anthem, as a Cessna Citation X flew over the track. The Grand Marshall’s were Sherry and Richard Wright. The In-Race Reporter was Kevin Harvick (29) who won last night’s race.

Joey Lagono (22) took over the lead from Juan Montoya (42) on lap 25, just before the “Competition Caution” was thrown. Montoya led every lap from the start, before having the night go downhill from there. The Caution was flown, and everyone took that opportunity to change all four tires.

On lap 30, an accordion style accident happened, after Jeff Gordon (24) had a slow start from the outside lane. Matt Kenseth (20) tried to push Gordon to get him going, and instead lifted the rear of Gordon’s car. This caused everyone in the outside lane to check up. Numerous cars received front and rear end damage. Kasey Kahne (5), Jeff Burton (31), Mark Martin (14) and Jimmie Johnson (48) were damaged. Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) both received rear end damages. While leaving pit road, Ryan Newman (39) got together with Mark Martin, creating some damage to the front of his car.

On lap 55, Denny Hamlin (11) tried to make a slide job on Paul Menard (27) and he missed badly, as he ran Menard and himself into the outside wall. A Debris caution then came out on lap 58. During this round of pit stops, Hamlin had repairs being done on his car, as he was outside his pit box. He was penalized for this, and fell a couple laps down. 

The fourth caution of the night came on lap 76, when Paul Menard had a tire fall apart on track. Jimmie Johnson’s night did not get any better, as he ran over the husk of the tire. Near lap 106, Joey Lagono (22) had a tire issue that forced him to make a green flag stop. He dropped a lap down to the leader. Matt Kenseth had nearly the same issues, just a few laps later and also had to make an unscheduled stop that put him a lap down too.

At the midpoint of the race, Lagono was the leader, with Clint Bowyer (15), Carl Edwards (99), Jeff Gordon (24), Kevin Harvick (29), Jamie McMurray (1), Matt Kenseth (20), Brad Keselowski (2) and Ryan Newman (39).

On lap 193, Clint Bowyer was running away with the race, as his engine blew up. MWR was running a special engine to see how it would perform. It was doing great, just before the engine let go. Bowyer led 48 laps on the night, and was a strong contender for a victory. This was his second race in a row that he was leading when an engine failed in his race car.

On lap 206, Menard gave Hamlin a bump from behind, that sent Hamlin into a slide as he spun out from the contact. This was clearly payback from the earlier incident in the race. During the round of pit stops, the two leaders stayed on track. Lagono and Edwards decided to stay on track, while the rest of the 17 lead lap cars made their stops for four fresh tires and fuel.

Near lap 244, Leader Brad Keselowski began having trouble with his engine, claiming he felt the car had lost a cylinder. He began falling back quickly, as he tried to baby the car to the end of the race. He was not able to keep it on track, as the engine failed completely short of the races completion.

Jimmie Johnson’s night continued to give him issues, as on lap 289, he brought out the seventh caution when he ran up on Jeff Burton to fast. He tried to check up as he spun out near pit road entry.

On lap 293, Brian Vickers spun out and into the infield during the restart. His car came to rest on pit road, after a extremely long slide through the grassy infield.

Another caution flew right away after the restart once again on lap 298, when Jeff Burton had a tire fail, sending him into the wall and collecting teammate Austin Dillon (33) on the way. After the pit stops were all made, Kyle Busch (18) was the new leader.
Busch was able to hold off a hard charging Martin Truex Jr. (56), who had a win taken away last year after a late caution.

The rest of the top ten were: Kurt Busch (78), Joey Lagono (22), Ryan Newman (39), Juan Montoya (42), Kevin Harvick (29), Jeff Gordon (24), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (88) and Marcus Ambrose (9). Danica Patrick (10) finished in 21^st spot, running well all evening.
The next race will be on Saturday Night in Richmond, VA on ABC at 7 PM EST.