Auto Racing Capsules: Harvick wins wild race at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Kevin Harvick lined up next to his Richard Childress Racing teammate for a two-lap sprint to the finish at Daytona International Speedway.
He and Clint Bowyer didn't bother to talk strategy.
"It was every man for himself at that point," Harvick said.
The Sprint Cup points leader sailed to his second win of the season, leading a strong RCR contingent in a wild night of racing at Daytona. There were a record 18 leaders, 47 lead changes, a 20-car accident and numerous angry drivers when it was over.
Harvick earned high praise from team owner Childress, who compared his driver to the late Dale Earnhardt, considered one of the best restrictor-plate racers in NASCAR history. Harvick also won at Talladega in April, and finished seventh in the season-opening Daytona 500.
"Kevin's just becoming one of these guys, when it's restrictor-plate racing, he's kind of like Dale Sr. — you knew he was going to be a factor in it," Childress said.
Harvick, who took over Earnhardt's team following The Intimidators fatal accident on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, now has eight top-10 finishes in 19 starts at Daytona. He also won the 2007 Daytona 500.
"This has been a great place for us," Harvick said. "Daytona has been one of those magical places for us ever since we started coming here."
Harvick and his RCR teammates, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton, were poised to run away with the race before several late cautions interfered with a potential Chevrolet sweep.
A three-car accident moments before Bowyer took the white flag set up NASCAR's version of overtime, and Bowyer and Harvick had to restart side-by-side for the final two-lap sprint. Harvick wasted no time sliding into the lead, while Bowyer got little help from behind as Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon swapped spots on the restart.
It left Bowyer all alone, and he slipped back into traffic and ultimately spun off the track. Harvick had clear sailing to the checkered flag.
"That really wasn't the situation that we wanted to be in," said Harvick, also the winner at Talladega in April. "I wanted to be behind him and be able to push him because it was looking pretty good for us, then that caution came out and we had to split up because of the double-file restarts. I helped him as much as I could, then we got split up and (Kahne and Gordon) split (Bowyer) and then that was it."
Kahne was second in a Ford, followed by Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Burton in Chevrolets.
"If you come home with a top five at a restrictor-plate race, you ought to skip all the way home," Burton said.
Earnhardt, who wasn't good most of the race, seemingly lucked into the top-five finish but it was enough to move him into eligibility for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. He's 11th in the standings.
The start of the race was delayed almost 90 minutes by rain, and a 19-car accident with 12 laps to go stopped the action another 20 minutes.
Kyle Busch had a wild night: a loose wheel early in the race forced him to give up the lead, and after driving his way back to the front, contact with Juan Pablo Montoya while leading ended his night. Mark Martin had to be pulled from fire by Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson's crew members, and AJ Allmendinger had a heated conversation with boss Richard Petty after he wrecked out of the race.
Then there was Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch, who exchanged words after the finish but the topic was drowned out by the booming post-race fireworks.
It was all just par for the course, it seemed, at Daytona.
"I'm starting to get used to the fact that every race we go to is basically bumper cars at 190 mph," Gordon said. "When it comes down to the end, you pretty much know that it's not going to end like that, that you're going to have cautions and double-file restarts. It's just hold on tight."
Edwards finished sixth and was followed by Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, Mike Bliss and Scott Speed.
Notebook: Allmendinger, Petty exchange words at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — AJ Allmendinger and car owner Richard Petty had a heated exchange in the garage area at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night.
Allmendinger pulled away from the seven-time NASCAR champion, turned his back on his boss and then stormed away from The King. Allmendinger declined to talk to reporters, but the executive vice president of Richard Petty Motorsports said his driver was merely frustrated by having a strong car and a poor finish.
"I always say the car owner shouldn't talk to the driver anytime after the race, especially after an accident," Petty VP Robbie Loomis said. "I think Richard's been here so many times, he's been through this stuff and he was just trying to get him to loosen up and let the boys do their stuff on fixing the car and getting back out there. Anytime you talk to somebody at the wrong time, it always causes discussion that needs to be worked out. That's all that happened."
Allmendinger was still hot when Loomis got to the garage a few minutes after the incident, which happened 66 laps into the 400-mile race.
"He's a hard-charging competitor and he's as passionate as anybody out there," Loomis said. "Unfortunately, two Daytona races with great cars and we haven't been able to bring the finish home."
Allmendinger led seven laps at Daytona International Speedway in February, but finished 32nd after brushing fenders with four-time series champion Jeff Gordon.
This time, Allmendinger swerved to avoid hitting Kyle Busch and spun into the infield. Busch, who overcame a loose wheel early in the race, later wrecked when he turned into Juan Pablo Montoya. His accident set off the loudest ovation of the race.
"I didn't turn right to wreck myself," Busch said. "Why would I do that? That's dumb. We had the fastest car out there. Another year here in Daytona being the fastest car."
Allmendinger may have felt the same way after his 36th-place finish.
"We'll be back," Loomis said. "It's unfortunate for AJ. He's such a fierce competitor. I can't describe how bad that guy wants to win and he will win. It's just a matter of when."
LABONTE'S 600TH: Bobby Labonte hit a milestone at Daytona.
Labonte made his 600th start in NASCAR's top series when the green flag dropped for the 180-lap race.
Labonte is 20th on the career list, well back of seven-time series champion Richard Petty's record of 1,185 starts. Labonte's older brother, Terry, has 867 starts.
"Having 600 starts, wow!" said Labonte, who served as grand marshal. "That is a lot of racing. It is just an honor and a privilege to be able to have that many races under my belt. There have been so many people that have helped me get to this point in my career."
Labonte drove this weekend for Phoenix Racing. He piloted the No. 09 Chevrolet for team owner James Finch, who won the spring race at Talladega last year with Brad Keselowski behind the wheel. The team uses Hendrick Motorsports equipment, giving Labonte hope that this could offer him a chance to get an elusive win at NASCAR's most storied track. He got caught in a late wreck and finished 16th.
"I'm not racing just to hit milestones or anything like that," said Labonte, who made his Cup debut in 1991. "Like I've said, I want to win and be competitive. Hitting 600 starts, it's great, and hopefully there will be a lot more, too."
Labonte is winless in 35 career starts at the 2½-mile superspeedway. He was on the pole twice and has five top-five finishes, including a second-place showing when Dale Earnhardt picked up his first Daytona 500 victory in 1998.
RAIN DELAY: The start of the race was delayed 1 hour, 32 minutes by rain. The real delay? Drying the track.
The early evening showers didn't last long, but it took considerable time for jet blowers to dry the 2½-mile, high-banked speedway. Delays like that happen all the time in auto racing, but if NASCAR chairman Brian France has his way, they could be things of the past soon.
"People are coming to us with certain ways to dry asphalt faster and better," France said Friday. "That would be a welcomed technology advancement. So we'll always try to do that. ... If inclement weather happens, it's out of our control. But to get the track as dry as fast as we can ... if we can speed that up down the road with technology or anything else, gosh, we'll be the first ones to do it."
GOODYEAR'S MESSAGE: For the first time in its history, Goodyear has changed its sidewall design on tires used in NASCAR.
The company brought tires to Daytona International Speedway with a patriotic color scheme that read "Support Our Troops" on the sidewall. The design was unveiled to say thanks to the men and women of the United States Armed Forces and launch Goodyear's "Support Our Troops" program. The company also jump-started its fundraising effort by donating $20,000 to a leading military support program.
The tires made their debut this weekend in the Nationwide and Sprint Cup series.
"For well over 100 years, Goodyear has been supplying and supporting the U.S. military, and has been a part of NASCAR's great history for more than 56 years. Now, we're making this historic change to honor them both," said Kris Kienzl, Goodyear's NASCAR marketing manager. "We are showing our support for the uniformed men and women who protect us and our families with a special message on the premier spot on our race tires."
LUG NUTS: Former Hootie & the Blowfish lead singer Darius Rucker, who launched a solo career in country music two years ago, performed a pre-race concert. ... Tennis pro John Isner, who lives in nearby Tampa, was on hand for the race. Isner and France's Nicolas Mahut played the longest match in tennis history at Wimbledon, a body-battering, 183-game test of will that encompassed 11 hours, 5 minutes of action over three days.
-- Mark Long
IndyCar
Wilson still basks in glory of win at The Glen
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Justin Wilson has put his signature moment in the IndyCar Series in his rearview mirror. He won't soon forget it, though.
A year ago, driving for Dale Coyne Racing, Wilson started on the front row at Watkins Glen International and dominated the race, stunning the field by leading 49 of 60 laps around the 11-turn, 3.4-mile course.
"We were the only team last year to beat Penske or Ganassi, so there were a lot of people coming up saying, 'It's great to see someone finally beat them and remind everyone else that it is possible,'" Wilson said. "It felt like it meant something."
It also gave Coyne his first victory after 25 years of trying.
"It was a bit of a surprise because everybody was running pretty strong. Penske and Ganassi finished two, three, four behind us," Coyne recalled. "A lot of teams get their first win by default sometimes, and those two teams are so dominant, so strong, that to be able to straight up beat them and outrun them and be stronger than they were was very nice."
Especially for the driver, who has only two wins — his first was at Belle Isle, Mich. in August 2008 — in 41 IndyCar Series starts.
"It was a sense of relief," said Wilson, who will start sixth in Sunday's Camping World Grand Prix as he prepares to defend his title at the storied road course. "It meant a lot to me to get his (Coyne's) first victory. That was part of it that made the whole thing special."
Just shy of turning 32, Wilson, a native of Sheffield, England, is something of an anomaly, and not because he's the tallest driver in the series at nearly 6-foot-4.
Wilson won his Formula Vauxhall Junior debut with JLR Racing in the early 1990s, becoming the first 16-year-old to win a British auto race. In 2001, he became the first British driver to win the FIA International F3000 championship, breaking the record for most points in a season (71) and podium finishes (10), and beating the second-place driver by a record 36 points.
Two years later, he landed a ride with Minardi in Formula 1 by forming a company called Justin Wilson PLC and selling 900 shares of himself to investors to raise $2 million to fund his racing career.
"There will be a few dollars for people in it at the end of the term (of the company in 2012)," said Stephen King, a British health consultant and one of those investors. "I think if they get their money back, then that's probably a good deal.
"But it's not about making money," King said. "It's about involvement, helping a guy who still is the only British driver to win the F3000 championship who obviously was worth a position higher up in the sport, but because of the circumstances just couldn't get it."
Wilson drove the final five F1 races of 2003 for Jaguar before its parent company, Ford, said drivers would have to produce $6 million in funding for the next season.
Wilson then jumped to Champ Car and produced four wins and 29 top-fives in five seasons before the series merged with IndyCar. He's still searching for that perfect ride, having left Coyne after last season and hooked up with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing in another one-year deal.
"Switching teams every year has been hard," said Wilson, who lives in Colorado with his wife, Julia, and their two infant daughters. "On top of that, you're learning a new car. It's hard for everyone to make that transition and compete. We're there on some of the races. It's a small setback, but I wouldn't change a thing.
"I'd love to be with one of those top teams. It certainly isn't going to be easy," Wilson said. "Ideally, you're picked up by one of those teams, but I don't see one of those seats opening up. They're doing a great job. I'm pretty happy here at Dreyer & Reinbold."
So, too, is his boss, who hasn't won a race in a decade and is confident Wilson can duplicate his feat from a year ago.
"He's been great to work with. We're very fortunate to have Justin," Dennis Reinbold said. "He's been a rock for our team. He's been somebody we've been able to accelerate and improve our setups."
Helio Castroneves, who has started on the pole three times at The Glen and has yet to win, marvels at what Wilson has accomplished.
"If he would end up with a very good team, he would be one of the guys up there almost every race," Castroneves said. "It's unfortunate to be in this situation. We have three teams right now (Penske, Ganassi, and Andretti Autosport) capable of winning and being competitive. Wilson doing that last year just shows it's a lot from him as well."
"I feel I haven't reached a peak yet. I feel I've still got a lot to prove," Wilson said. "I've accomplished a lot in my career, but there's a lot more I want to achieve. I want to win the championship here. That's my main goal."
-- John Kekis
Notebook: Duno causes problems at WGI
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — Another race, another tirade directed at Milka Duno.
After spinning out on his own and losing two fast laps in the first round of qualifying Saturday at Watkins Glen International, Ryan Hunter-Reay was trying to rally and make the second round when he overtook Duno as time was running out in the 15-minute session.
Hunter-Reay, who won at Watkins Glen two years ago, missed the cut and will start 16th in the 25-car field for Sunday's Camping World Grand Prix. Afterward, he vented his frustration at Duno, who was more than 7 seconds off the pace and hindered his chances on his final passes.
"If she's going to drive in this series, she's going to have to drive with her mirrors," Hunter-Reay said. "There are 15 turns on this course and she's the 16th."
Duno, who brings sponsorship dollars to her team at Dale Coyne Racing, was defended by her boss.
"She's been within the rule every session," Dale Coyne said. "Something happened. She's closer to the field to the pole than she's been on any road course this year. Ryan can say what he wants, but she didn't cause (his spinout)."
Duno also was mentioned at the post-qualifying press conference, and the drivers were reluctant to criticize.
"Maybe the best scenario is if we have enough cars you have to qualify for each race," said Justin Wilson, who won last year's race at WGI. "Then you get the best 25 or 26 cars starting. I don't know what the right answer is. You obviously don't want to turn people away that are keeping some of these teams afloat, but at the same time there's a balance there."
"There is a balance," defending series champion Dario Franchitti added. "You don't want to see that car and sponsor go away. Then a lot of guys are out of work. But there's a certain level of competency that's not there, unfortunately."
MARIO'S PRIZE: Fans have selected Mario Andretti as the honoree for the road championship trophy the IndyCar Series will give out to the driver who scores the most points at the nine road/street courses on the 17-race schedule.
"It's the ultimate compliment years after I retired, to have the fans remember me this way," said Andretti, who had 52 IndyCar wins, second to A.J. Foyt, and a record 67 poles.
The IndyCar Series announced in April that it would institute oval and road title contests, with a champion crowned for each discipline. Foyt is the honoree for the ovals.
As for the current drivers, they're not paying too much attention despite the fact that a bonus will be awarded to each winner.
"Honestly, it does not matter," Penske star Helio Castroneves said. "I'm not even aware of where I'm at. You want to win the big one, the title."
Ditto.
"I think the main thing you fight for is the overall championship," said Dreyer & Reinbold Racing's Justin Wilson. "That doesn't change anything. It's kind of like an added bonus, but it's not something I'm focusing on."
"There's one champion at the end of the year, and that's the way it should be," defending IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti said. "The series is a 50-50 split between ovals and road and street courses. You're going to have to be successful at both to win the championship. That's the way I look at it."
For the record, through four of seven races on ovals, Scott Dixon leads with 151 points, just four ahead of Target Chip Ganassi teammate Franchitti. Penske's Will Power, who won the first two races of the season on street circuits, leads with 172 points to 130 for second-place Castroneves after four of nine races.
VISO'S BAD VIEW: E.J. Viso lost control of his No. 8 in morning practice in the IndyCar Series and crashed, did not take part in qualifying, and will start last on Sunday at Watkins Glen.
Viso's troubles began entering turn 1, a 90-degree right-hander at the end of the front straight where the cars reach speeds of nearly 160 mph. He tried to correct after driving onto the runoff area and began to move back onto the track, but the car caromed hard into the Armco barrier lining the right side of the course. The right front tire flew off and Viso careened back across the track and slammed into the barrier on that side.
Viso said he hit a bump when he tried to get back on course and the skid pad beneath the car bent, causing the front tires to lift.
"I was pushing hard and went wide," Viso said. "I lost steering control. At that point, I was basically a passenger. I just couldn't do anything. It's a shame because the car was fast. However, it's a long race, and anything can happen."
The accident brought out a full-course caution. The KV Racing Technology Honda was demolished and towed away, but Viso walked away unscathed. Before the crash, he was seventh-fastest.
CARROLL'S COMING: Adam Carroll will make his IndyCar Series debut at Watkins Glen on Sunday, and he's starting an impressive 10th.
The up-and-coming driver from Northern Ireland will drive the No. 27 car co-run by Andretti Autosport and AFS Racing.
"I was happy with that run," he said. "You always want to come and do the best you can. This is my first race in 14 months. If I get the most out of it, we'll be somewhere near the top 10."
Carroll, 27, who signed on for a limited schedule to drive a fifth car for Andretti Autosport in April, has won at every level he's raced, earning 41 wins in Formula Renault Campus, Formula Ford, Formula 3, GP2 and A1GP. He won last year's A1GP season championship.
-- John Kekis
Power wins WGI pole, keeps Penske streak alive
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (AP) — The Penske juggernaut rolls on.
Will Power won the pole at Watkins Glen International on Saturday to lead a sweep of the top three spots by Team Penske, which extended its IndyCar Series record of consecutive poles to eight. It also was the fifth straight pole at Watkins Glen for Penske, which has yet to post a series win in five tries at the storied road course.
"I got the car the way I like it for qualifying," Power said after capturing his fifth pole of the season. "It's just three quick drivers, three good engineers, and a good group of people working together. We just have to make sure we convert it during the race."
Power covered the 11-turn, 3.4-mile course in 1 minute, 29.3164 seconds at 135.832 mph and was followed by teammates Helio Castroneves and Ryan Briscoe.
"We're really pumped," said Castroneves, who barely missed his fourth pole at The Glen. "It's just a matter of now, make it happen. We have three chances to win this race. Hopefully, one of us will be able to make it."
Defending series champion Dario Franchitti was fourth, followed by rookie Takuma Sato, who earned his top qualifying spot of the season, and defending race winner Justin Wilson.
Danica Patrick, fresh from a one-week stint in NASCAR, struggled and will start 21st in the 25-car field for Sunday's Camping World Grand Prix. Adam Carroll, an up-and-coming driver from Northern Ireland, will start 10th in his series debut. Canada's Paul Tracy, whose qualifying gaffe cost him a starting spot in the Indy 500, will go off 12th in his first start of the season.
Qualifying on road and street courses is a three-step process. Initially, the drivers are split into two groups for 15-minute segments, with the top six in each group advancing to the next segment. The six fastest in that grouping of 12 then advance to a 10-minute shootout to decide the first three rows.
Castroneves topped the first group followed closely by Marco Andretti, Briscoe, Wilson, Carroll, and Mario Moraes. That relegated Andretti Autosport teammates Tony Kanaan and Patrick to starting spots deep in the field. Kanaan will go off 13th.
Franchitti won the second session, which started slowly. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won at Watkins Glen two years ago, spun off course braking into turn eight during the first minutes of the session. That brought out a full-course caution, cost Hunter-Reay his two fastest laps, and he was unable to rebound and advance.
Dixon also missed making the final six, barely, finishing 0.09 seconds behind Sato for the final slot.
"It was a tough session," said Dixon, who won the first three IndyCar Series races at Watkins Glen. "The car, speed-wise, should have been in the top six. I didn't get it all together."
If anybody was going to knock Power out of the top spot, it was Castroneves. But he slid wildly off course into the gravel pit alongside turn eight as the checkered flag was waving, ending his last chance.
"I wanted that pole position," Castroneves said. "It was a shame. It would have been very close. When they (his crew) told me two-tenths (behind), I said, 'I gotta do something really crazy here.' Unfortunately, it was a little too much."
-- John Kekis
Grand Am
Pruett and Rojas win Grand-Am race at Daytona
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas have won the Grand-Am race at Daytona International Speedway, giving team owner Chip Ganassi another victory at the storied track.
Pruett took the lead Saturday with one hour left in the No. 01 BMW Riley. Pruett beat Ryan Dalziel to the checkered flag by 24.304 seconds.
It was the 29th series win for Ganassi, who also won NASCAR's Daytona 500 in February.
This victory came only four days after the team was penalized 25 points. Pruett and Rojas now lead Dalziel, who co-drove the No. 8 BMW Riley with Mike Forest, by 13 points.
Ozz Negri and John Pew took third.
Andy Lally won his third race of the season in the production-based GT class, co-driving with RJ Valentine in a Porsche GT3.
