Matt Kenseth tackled Brad Keselowski in a very un-Kenseth type attack in 2014, then earned a NASCAR suspension a year ago for an intentional crash that ruined Joey Logano’s title chances.
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Denny Hamlin claimed his third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of 2016 with a victory at his home track in the Federated Auto Parts 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night.
Hamlin takes the checkered flag in last Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race at Richmond.
You might think Ryan Newman, who in 2009 was the first driver for the fledgling Stewart-Hass Racing team, has been waiting a while to call Tony Stewart a bipolar lunatic with anger issues.
“Guess he thought he was in a sprint vehicle again, can’t control his anger…”
The Lap 363 pileup that ended Newman’s Chase hopes-and ended with Dylan Lupton’s Toyota on the hood of Newman’s car-also locked Buescher into NASCAR’s playoff with the elimination of Ragan from the race. In a television interview after the incident, Newman bitterly criticized his former boss at Stewart-Haas Racing.
Yep, it’s time for the exhausted “Days of Thunder” line to describe Allmendinger’s night because he truly did hit everything but the pace vehicle.
“How many times does a guy get a free pass”, Stewart told NBC after the race.
Kyle Larson, who very almost caught Hamlin at the end of the race, is the fourth rookie to make the Chase this year. “. Just disappointing that you’ve got somebody old like that that’s retired, should be retired the way he drives, it’s just ridiculous”.
Stewart already had secured a playoff spot and will start the 10-race Chase as the No. 11 seed.
“Google Tony Stewart”, Newman comcluded.
“He’s got to do his part, too, to race for a championship”, Stewart said. “This night didn’t dictate it for him”.
Front row: (L-R): Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher, Martin Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Kyle Larson, Jimmie Johnson, Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray.
Keselowski had six wins in 2014 and a strong Chase until a mechanical failure in the first race of the third round put him against the ropes.
The rest of the Chase field is made up of the other 12 race winners this season.
Doesn’t mean a JGR driver, or even a Toyota team – let’s not overlook Martin Truex Jr. and the Furniture Row Racing group – will waltz away with the title a little more than two months from now.
The Virginia native won for the third time at Richmond, the third time in 2016 and the 29th time in his career.
Stewart’s wreck took out enough cars that rookie Chris Buescher punched his ticket to the Chase, capping off one of the season’s biggest underdog stories. This season, those five Toyota have led 55.8-percent of all laps raced. The constant visits to pit road caused crew chiefs to use different strategies for the use of their tire allotment. Although he has two wins this year, he’s at career lows in almost every category, including laps led.
The list of drivers behind Newman who must triumph includes notables Kasey Kahne, Trevor Bayne, Ryan Blaney, AJ Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and Danica Patrick. He was baffled because he thought he was clear of Bayne, but figured Bayne thought otherwise and neither driver would yield. “I have been able to win here in the past and I look forward to the challenge”, Kahne said. The defending Sprint Cup Series champion led 197 of 250 laps en route to his 84th victory in the series.
The Chase kicks off next weekend in Chicago, and crisscrosses all across the country before winding up with the championship finale race in Miami during November.
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