Auto Racing Package Auto Racing Glance
Last race: Kyle Busch won the battle of attrition, overcoming a pit-road penalty and several scrapes with the wall to win at Darlington Raceway. The third Cup victory of the season for NASCAR’s least popular driver hardly thrilled the crowd, which booed him lustily in prerace introductions and hadn’t softened by the time he took the checkered flag. He led a race-high 169 of the 367 laps en route to his eighth victory of the season spanning NASCAR’s top three series.
Last year: Kevin Harvick held off Jimmie Johnson to pick up a $1 million payday in the Nextel All-Star Challenge.
Fast facts: The Sprint Showdown will consist of 40 laps, 60 miles, and will be run in two 20-lap segments. The top two finishers in the Sprint Showdown will earn starting spots in the All-Star Race. A third driver will also advance as determined by a fan vote. … The All-Star race is run in four segments of 25 laps each. … This weekend does not count in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kyle Busch leads the standings with 1,690 points, 79 ahead of Jeff Burton.
Last race: Ron Hornaday Jr.’s fuel gamble with 59 laps paid off thanks to five of the record 12 cautions at Kansas Speedway, helping him win the wreck-filled O’Reilly Auto Parts 250 on April 26. Hornaday started at the pole and led 136 of the 167 laps around the 1.5-mile oval. But when Andy Lally slammed into the wall on lap 108, crew chief Rick Ren quickly calculated fuel mileage and took a gamble by sending Hornaday out with four new tires, but no gas.
Tags: 1 million, attrition, Auto, Auto Parts, auto racing, chase, checkered flag, cup victory, darlington raceway, eighth victory, fuel mileage, gas auto, gm, jeff burton, jimmie johnson, kevin harvick, nextel all star challenge, o reilly auto parts
