Tag Archives: Kyle Busch

Nov 8 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Tony Stewart continues to make headlines!

By Brian Willwerth 

With two races remaining in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, the race for the championship is primarily a two-man battle.

Red-hot Tony Stewart won his second straight race in the playoffs Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. It’s his fourth win in eight Chase races. He led a race-high 173-laps. He’s now just a mere three points behind leader Carl Edwards, who finished second.

How is Edwards managing to stay ahead of Stewart in the standings, despite not winning a race in the playoff? It’s all about consistency. He has finished in the top ten in seven of the eight races, with the lone exception being an 11th place finish at Talladega. He’s been the points’ leader for five consecutive weeks now. Stewart had to fight just to get into the Chase.

Kevin Harvick is a distant third, 33 points behind Edwards.

BUSCH PARKED – The other major headline from the race weekend at Texas involved Kyle Busch.  After deliberately wrecking Ron Hornaday Jr. in the Truck Series race Friday night, NASCAR parked Busch for the rest of the weekend. Busch and Hornaday made contact, bringing out the caution. Busch drove right up to Hornaday’s bumper – under caution – and sent the Trucks’ championship contender nose-first into the wall.

Busch was a long shot to win the Sprint Cup title at that point anyway. Now, forget about it.

NEXT WEEK: The second-to-last race of the season at Phoenix. Jeff Gordon, who’s had a very quiet Chase, won the first race at the one-mile oval back in February.

Oct 24 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Clint Bowyer performed quite well this past weekend!

By Brian Willwerth 

The sixth race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup ended up being a battle between two drivers who aren’t even vying for the title.

Clinton Bowyer and Jeff Burton had been working together in the two-car drafting at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. Coming off the final turn, Bowyer passed Burton and edged him at the finish line. It was Bowyer’s first win of the season, and the 100th victory for Richard Childress Racing in the Cup Series.

It was a rough day for some of the Chasers. Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch both had accidents that cost them big-time. Jimmie Johnson was never a factor in the end, despite his usual hanging in the back of the pack.

Carl Edwards is still the point’s leader, as well as 14 points ahead of Matt Kenseth.

Next week – short-track racing at Martinsville, which should be fun.

Oct 17 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Matt Kenseth had a great night on Saturday!

By Brian Willwerth 

We are halfway through the Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship. The title is still up for grabs, although three drivers are starting to separate themselves from the pack.

One of them is Matt Kenseth, who drove his #17 car to victory lane Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. It was his first win of the playoffs, and third of 2011, (he also won at Texas and Dover back in the spring.) With the victory, he moved into third place, just seven points behind leader Carl Edwards. Kevin Harvick remains in second, five points behind Edwards.

On Saturday night, Kenseth passed Kyle Busch on a restart with 25 laps remaining, and never looked back.  Busch had been in control for much of the race. Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Marcos Ambrose rounded out the top five.

The other headline involves five-time champion Jimmie Johnson. His bid for another title took a major hit – literally. Late in the race, he got loose coming off Turn 2, spun around, and then his #48 car went slamming nose-first into the outside wall. He finished 34th on Saturday night, and is now eighth in the standings.

The other big on-track incident was also in Turn 2. Kahne, Jeff Gordon and David Ragan were three-wide. There was contact, and when it was all over, all three drivers were sitting idle along the inside wall. Gordon finished 21st, as his struggles in the Chase continue.

NEXT WEEK: Talladega.  Need I say more…

Sep 19 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Get ready because the Chase is right around the corner!

By Brian Willwerth 

The Chase is on. And here comes Smoke.

Tony Stewart, who didn’t secure his place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup until the last moment, won the first race of NASCAR’s playoffs Monday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway. The #14 team played the fuel mileage game to perfection, as tons of cars ran out of gas on the final lap. It was Stewart’s first win of the season, and first overall since October of 2010.

Stewart moved all the way up to 2nd in the standings. Kevin Harvick has taken over first place in the Chase. He finished 2nd while fellow contenders Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Carl Edwards finished 3rd and 4th.

Among those running out of fuel at the end were Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon.  Both drivers took serious hits in the standings, falling all the way to 10th and 11th respectively. Here are the updated standings:

DRIVER                                       POINTS BACK

  1.  Kevin Harvick                                 –
  2.  Tony Stewart                                  -7
  3. Matt Kenseth                                  -8
  4. Jimmie Johnson                              -9
  5. Ryan Newman                               -10
  6.  Carl Edwards                                – 14
  7. Kurt Busch                                      -15
  8.  Dale Earnhardt Jr.                        -16
  9.  Brad Keselowski                           -18
  10. Kyle Busch                                    -19
  11. Jeff Gordon                                  -24
  12. Denny Hamlin                               -41

It was a relatively clean race. So the Wreck Wrap is taking the week off.

NEXT WEEK: it’s the second race of the Chase, and the second of the year at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Ryan Newman won there back in July.  It should be a fun time, as always. I’ll be in Loudon to take it all in.

Aug 29 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Yet again, Keselowski impressed many on Sunday at Bristol.

By Brian Willwerth 

With two races remaining before the Chase for the Championship begins, there is little doubt who the surprise driver of 2011 is.

It’s Brad Keselowski, the driver of the #2 Dodge, who won his third race of the season Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. He has been red-hot over the past month. His broken ankle has not slowed him down; two of his four wins have come since the injury. Throw in a second and third-place finish, and it’s easy to see why he’s jumped from 21st to 11th in the standings. If he can’t crack the Top 10, his three wins will likely earn him one of the two wild-card spots.

Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five.

Denny Hamlin is hanging on by a thread to the other wild-card spot. He got a much-needed Top 10 finish last night (7th.)  Johnson and Kyle Busch are tied atop the standings.

THE WRECK WRAP:

David Reutimann went spinning into the inside wall, courtesy of a little contact from behind by David Stremme. Hamlin and Paul Menard spun out trying to avoid the crash.  Both drivers remained in the race.

Mark Martin got into the back of Brian Vickers. Martin’s #5 car got the worst of that incident.

NEXT WEEK: They’ll be celebrating Labor Day weekend by racing under the lights Sunday in Atlanta. There are only two races left before the Chase.

Aug 24 2011

Daily Noontime – August 24, 2011

Well, the great Pat Summitt will continue to coach Tennessee despite health issues!

It’s officially HUMP day, which means it’s Wednesday, wahoo! Happy Wednesday everyone and of course, here’s the news and headlines of the day, enjoy! 

Headlines: 

* Well, news broke on Tuesday that Pat Summitt plans to continue coaching the University of Tennessee women’s basketball team despite current health issues. In fact, one of her former players, Michelle Marciniak had some interesting words to share about this situation.

* Apparently, NASCAR’s Kyle Busch is going to lose his license for 45 days due to a speeding incident recently.

* So, Reggie Bush is eager to help the Miami Dolphins succeed… hmmm… does this sound right? Really, are you expecting Mr. Bush to be the savior? If so, raise your hand!

* Good news New York Yankees fans, Alex Rodriguez is planning to deal out all of his information to the MLB on Friday, as well as explain his gambling addiction too.

* This is bizarre… St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Matt Holliday was struck by an injury bug on Tuesday, but not just any kind of bug, yet instead, a moth in his right ear.

* Due to the ongoing NBA lockout, Los Angles Clippers star Blake Griffin has decided to do an internship at FunnyOrDie.com.

Games to Watch: 

* Milwaukee at Pittsburgh (MLB) – 12:35pm eastern 

* Boston at Texas (MLB) – 7:05pm eastern

* Detroit at Tampa Bay (MLB) -7:10pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

The Little League World Series is always an enjoyable event, especially when a player dances in left field, right? 

Aug 22 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Busch earned an impressive fourth win on Sunday at the Michigan International Speedway!

By Brian Willwerth 

With his win on Sunday, Kyle Busch assured his spot in the Chase for the Championship. He, of course, wants more.

Busch drove his #18 car to victory lane for the fourth time this season, outlasting Jimmie Johnson in a green-white-checkered finish at Michigan International Speedway. It is the first time Busch has ever won at the two-mile oval. He has now opened up a 10-point lead over Johnson in the standings.

Brad Keselowski, who’s been hot lately, continued that trend with a third-place finish. Mark Martin and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five.

It was a rough day for a couple of big names. Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards finished 35th and 36th, respectively. Edwards had electrical issues. Hamlin hit the wall, blew a tire, and that pretty much ruined his day.

THE WRECK WRAP: 

After some vicious crashes last week at Watkins Glen, this race was pretty clean. So, the Wrap takes this week off.

NEXT WEEK: they’ll race under the lights at Bristol. Busch won the first race at that track earlier in the year. There are only three races left before the Chase.

Aug 22 2011

Daily Noontime – August 22, 2011

Are you ready to watch Plaxico Burress lead the Jets to victory?

It’s a brand new week, which means, yes, it’s officially Monday! Howdy and welcome to yet another Daily Noontime! Here’s the headlines and news of the day, so enjoy, friends! 

Headlines: 

* The New York Jets played their second preseason game on Sunday, but also, they welcomed Plaxico Burress back to the gridiron, who made an immediate impact on the first team offense.

* The Dallas Cowboys defense didn’t look too impressive on Sunday, which is why defensive coordinator Rob Ryan took the blame for their first poor play against the San Diego Chargers. Doesn’t this remind you of former head coach, Wade Phillips?

* According to the Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Juan Castillo, he expects his linebackers to be in prime shape and “ready to win the Super Bowl.”

* Apparently the Los Angles of Anaheim Angels dished out a great deal of money recently to sign Jered Weaver to a five-year, $85 million contract extension.

* Sadly, the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants recently suffered a set back, as their closer, Brian Wilson was placed on the 15-day disable list with inflammation in his right elbow.

* Kyle Busch held onto earn his fourth win on Sunday at the Michigan International Speedway.

Games to Watch: 

* Detroit at Tampa Bay (MLB) – 7:10pm eastern

* Chicago Bears at New York “Football” Giants (NFL Preseason) – 8:00pm eastern 

* Boston at Texas (MLB) – 8:05pm eastern 

Video of the Day: 

Here’s a look at Plaxico’s first touchdown with the New York Jets! 

Aug 15 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Marcos Ambrose celebrated a fantastic weekend at the track.

By Brian Willwerth 

The huge smile on Marcos Ambrose’s face in victory lane said it all. He has finally broken through in NASCAR’s top series. Ambrose and his #9 car took the checkered flag Monday on the road course at Watkins Glen, one day after the race was postponed due to inclement weather.

This race will be remembered for being Ambrose’s first Sprint Cup win, and for the vicious wrecks that resulted in the race ending under caution (more on that in a moment.)

Ambrose took the lead on a green-white-checkered finish, squeaking past both Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Marcos becomes the fifth, first-time winner this season. He is also the 15th different driver to win a race in 2011.

Martin Truex Jr. and Joey Logano rounded out the top five. Busch has taken over the points lead by a single point over Carl Edwards.

THE WRECK WRAP:  Wow – where do we start?

Let’s start at the end, where we may have seen the crash of the year. On a tense, final lap, Boris Said got into David Ragan, sending the #6 car plowing into the left-side wall, and back across the track, where he collected the #00 of David Reutimann. Reutimann crashed head-on into the wall, causing his car to flip over several times. It was the most violent crash I’ve seen since Edwards went flying through the air a few years ago at Talladega. In their post-race interviews, both Ragan and Reutimann were very critical of the lack of SAFER barriers at the track.  The good news: both drivers amazingly walked away from the vicious wreck.

That wasn’t the only violent crash.  Also on the final lap, Tony Stewart went plowing through the grass, and ended up against the wall when the yellow flag came out to end the race.  The wreck cost him some precious points.

Earlier, two other contenders ran into trouble: Kurt Busch blew a tire and ended up crashing into a pile of tires. Denny Hamlin lost his brakes, and suffered a similar fate.

And if that wasn’t enough, ESPN’s cameras caught a heated, post-race exchange between Said and Greg Biffle. The two had to be separated. Said later told ESPN that Biffle was an “unprofessional little scaredy cat,” and said he would settle the dispute off the track.  That’s quite a statement coming from someone who doesn’t race in the top series very often.

NEXT WEEK: it’s back to Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin won at the 2-mile track back in June.

Aug 8 2011

Willwerth: NASCAR Notebook

Brad Keselowski is someone who could certainly shock the NASCAR world soon!

By Brian Willwerth 

It’s amazing whenever Brad Keselowski wins a race. It’s even more amazing when he does it with a broken ankle.

That’s what happened at Pocono Raceway on Sunday, driving his #2 car – bad ankle and all – into victory lane, in a race that was delayed by one-hour and 40- minutes because of rain. He took control of the race on the final restart and never looked back.

With his victory, Keselowski has thrown the race for the Chase into a complete frenzy. This was his second win of the year, putting him in great position to grab one of the two wild card spots as long as he stays in the Top-20 in points, (he’s 18th at the moment.)

Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman rounded out the top five. Carl Edwards maintained the overall points lead.

The other headline from this race stems from the race for third between Kurt Busch and Johnson. Racing for position on the final lap, the two bumped each other several times. While Keselowski was doing his victory burnouts, Busch and Johnson got into a heated confrontation on pit road. Their post-race interviews on ESPN were some of the most animated things I’ve ever seen. In fact, Busch did not hold back, especially when asked if this particular race would carry over to the Chase, in which he replied, “It always does with the 48 and 22.”

Ah, nothing like a good ol’ feuds, at least for the short term.

Next week: the road course at Watkins Glen. Get ready to turn left…. AND right.