After finishing second at Darlington Speedway in 2008 and 2011, Edwards finally found his way to Victory Lane in the Southern 500 on Sunday night.
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Keselowski started on the pole and by far led the most laps with 196.
“I’d say we’re always looking to make sure we’re satisfying our core fans and our long-term fan at the same time as we are growing to a new audience”, Jim Cassidy, NASCAR’s senior vice president for racing operations, said Thursday. He said he hopes NASCAR uses the same package during the ten-race chase for the championship that starts in two weeks, but NASCAR had said earlier it had no plans to do so. He has come close a third place at Bristol in April and at Pocono last month are his best showings this year yet has not shown the magic and skill of last years run when he won four races and finished sixth in the Chase.
“When my team told me we were good on fuel, they were telling me to be aggressive and save fuel, ” Suarez said. I don’t think anybody liked the way their cars drove, but we were just slow-no speed. Denny Hamlin, pole victor for Saturday’s NASCAR XFINITY Series race at the Lady in Black, had to bump his way into the top 24 late in the opening round. Keslowski led all of the cars on the lead lap to pit row for fresh tires to finish out the race. “I’m happy with third considering where we were with about 20 or 30 to go”.
She qualified 30th, but will have to drop to the back of the field at the start at a track where she can be lapped quickly.
We definitely feel pressure and its a little bit stressful right now being on the bubble, Gordon said Friday. “Again, it’s just one of those tracks that really kind of gets you – and your team – pumped up and I think we’re in store for an excellent race”. Those are Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Keselowski, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards.
Brad Keselowski won five pole positions past year and looked like he was an ace when it came to mastering NASCAR’s knockout qualifying format.
Edwards win also locked his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch into the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Darlington! Boy, that’s a tough track, and you run right up next to the wall! “It’s a draining race track, not just physically, but mentally just trying to keep that focus”.
The Roush Fenway Racing driver, who is a two-time victor at Darlington, set the best lap of the day during the first practice of the day which got underway on the 1.366-mile oval at 11am. With all the throwback paint schemes and other nods to tradition Sunday, the atmosphere should be outstanding.
The second of two races utilizing a low-downforce configuration with a smaller spoiler, Darlington was a part of NASCAR’s analysis course of in formalizing the rule ebook for subsequent yr. “This package, you’re sliding around so much that guys are making mistakes”.
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” I loved it. This is as good as it gets”, Edwards said about the aero package that made it’s debut at Kentucky Speedway. It’s the 75th Cup win for Toyota – Toyota, TRD (Toyota Racing Development) – everyone has been so incredible.
