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FINAL NOTEBOOK - BUSCH GETS ANOTHER VICTORY; THIS TIME WITHOUT A CHECKERED FLAG

Kurt Busch won Sunday's Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway without even taking the checkered flag.

Busch was the leader on-track when the fourth and final weather related red flag was displayed on track, giving the 2004 Sprint Cup champion his second victory of the season. Busch took the lead when Kyle Larson's attempt to gamble on gas-mileage lost its momentum on lap 133 when Larson was forced to pit for fuel. Three laps after Busch took the lead; the rain came.

Busch, who was driving a backup car because of contact made with the wall in Friday's opening Sprint Cup practice session, believes it was a team effort to run up front with a backup car.

"It was a fantastic group effort," Busch explained.  "To be able to pull the backup car out and to have it as prepared as it was and then to have the extra work that went into it, all the crew members that Tony Gibson leads rolled up their sleeves, jumped right on in it, and we made it a race-winning backup car.  That shows you the depth of Stewart-Haas Racing.  It gives every crew member that much more confidence to know that we're doing things right, and today the way the race unfolded for us, to come up from 24th and work our way through and have those restarts, everything unfolded perfectly for us with changes to the car, the restarts, to not break momentum, to end up on the outside lane most of the time, and then to have a shot up front, our car just kept getting better and better the closer we put it to the front, and that's what you set up for.  

"You set up for the wins, and you don't set up for the dirty air, you set up for running out front, and that's what Tony Gibson did."

The rain-shortened victory becomes Busch's third career victory at Michigan and the first since 2007. It also marks the first time in which Busch has won multiple races since the 2011 Sprint Cup season.

Busch already solidified his spot in NASCAR's Chase for the Championship with his win earlier this season at Richmond. The 36-year old Las Vegas native believes winning, no matter how achieved, brings more than just tangible benefits.

"Any time you win, it comes with a basket full of goodies, and the way that more of what is the unknown is what comes from this, and that is the pep in the step of the crew members, the genuine chemistry and the feel on the shop floor," Busch said. "There's so many tangibles that come up from a win, and bonus points for the Chase, we're not really thinking of that, but any time you win a second race, it really gives you that stamp on you're in the Chase, now let's work through these summer months to continue to make the team better.

"The best part about winning on a day like today, there's an off week next week, so everybody will take this win and enjoy it for an extra week, recharge, and that will give us the gas we're going to need because we're going to try to go all the way to Homestead."

Two-time Michigan winner Dale Ea
rnhardt, Jr, finished behind Busch in the second position. The finish is Earnhardt's ninth top-five finish of the 2015 season, just four shy of the 13 top-five finishes of his highly successful 2014 campaign.

NASCAR's reigning and defending most popular driver doesn't put much stock in any finish other than a win under NASCAR's new playoff format.

"Over the last several years we've been as good or better than anybody during the regular season and never -- just haven't showed up in the Chase," Earnhardt, Jr, said. "I told my guys after Pocono when we run 11th with about a third-place car that I wasn't going to worry about finishes and I wasn't going to worry about trying to get everything I can on finishes.  I was just going to go to the track, try to win, try to learn.  We need to make sure when we get to the Chase, we understand everything we can about the car and how to deliver the best car every week. Trying to be as consistent as you can and finish as well as you can - can kind of mask some of your weaknesses, I guess.  You can forget that you need to work.  Everybody is trying to catch you.

"I just ain't going to worry about it.  We've always done well during the first 26 races and never done well in the Chase, so I'm just concentrating on the Chase now that we're locked in.  We go to win these races, we don't win them, it doesn't really matter to me where we finish just as long as we've got fast cars, and we're understanding how to get better."

Martin Truex, Jr, made history by finishing in third place.  The finish marks the 14th time this season Truex has finished inside the top-ten, it's the first time since Richard Petty in 1969 that a driver has finished in the top-ten in 14 of 15 races.

Truex, Jr, also put a great effort into cutting into Kevin Harvick's stranglehold on the Sprint Cup points standings. The driver of the No. 78 Furniture Row Chevrolet only trails Harvick by 15 points.

Matt Kenseth finished in fourth place with Michigan-native Brad Keselowski rounding out the top five.

Perennial frontrunner Kevin Harvick continued to flex his muscles by leading 63 laps in the race but just two laps after his lap 120 pit stop, the defending Sprint Cup series champion was back on pit road with a flat tire. Harvick couldn't recover from the tire troubles and was forced to settle for a 29th place finish, just the second time he's finished outside the top ten on the season.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Race Number 15
Unofficial Race Results for the 47Th Annual Quicken Loans 400 - Sunday, June 14, 2015
Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI - 2 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 138 Laps - 276 Miles - Purse: $5,263,885

Leader
Fin    Str    Car    Driver    Team    Laps    Pts    Bns    Driver Rating    Winnings    Status    Tms    Laps
1    24    41    Kurt Busch    Haas Automation Chevrolet    138    47    4    113.5    $186,125    Running    1    6
2    14    88    Dale Earnhardt Jr.    AMP Energy Chevrolet    138    43    1    116.9    $141,435    Running    1    1
3    9    78    Martin Truex Jr.    Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet    138    41        117.1    $137,580    Running        
4    12    20    Matt Kenseth    Dollar General Toyota    138    41    1    117.6    $148,471    Running    2    3
5    11    22    Joey Logano    Shell Pennzoil Ford    138    40    1    93.2    $140,508    Running    1    7
6    3    2    Brad Keselowski    Miller Lite Ford    138    39    1    107.7    $141,031    Running    2    6
7    25    1    Jamie McMurray    McDonald's Chevrolet    138    37        79.9    $126,331    Running        
8    17    27    Paul Menard    Moen/Menards Chevrolet    138    36        82.1    $108,515    Running        
9    20    6    Trevor Bayne    AdvoCare Ford    138    35        71.9    $132,940    Running        
10    32    15    Clint Bowyer    Chrry5HrEnrgy/SpecialOperationsWarriorFndtn Toyota    138    34        79.5    $126,523    Running        
11    13    11    Denny Hamlin    FedEx Express Toyota    138    33        81.7    $106,015    Running        
12    4    19    Carl Edwards    ARRIS Toyota    138    33    1    113.2    $107,140    Running    3    41
13    27    13    Casey Mears    GEICO Chevrolet    138    31        70.3    $116,448    Running        
14    22    33    Ty Dillon(i)    Nexium 24Hr Chevrolet    138    0        90.8    $105,823    Running        
15    1    5    Kasey Kahne    Great Clips Chevrolet    138    30    1    100.0    $110,215    Running    1    1
16    19    10    Danica Patrick    GoDaddy Chevrolet    138    29    1    63.8    $97,065    Running    1    2
17    16    42    Kyle Larson    Target Chevrolet    138    28    1    89.0    $116,073    Running    2    7
18    23    31    Ryan Newman    Quicken Loans Chevrolet    138    26        78.6    $119,840    Running        
19    8    48    Jimmie Johnson    Kobalt Tools Chevrolet    137    25        75.0    $131,801    Running        
20    7    3    Austin Dillon    American Ethanol Chevrolet    137    24        80.5    $124,471    Running        
21    6    24    Jeff Gordon    Panasonic Chevrolet    137    23        87.4    $131,771    Running        
22    26    43    Aric Almirola    Smithfield Ford    137    22        65.4    $123,346    Running        
23    31    47    AJ Allmendinger    Kroger/Hungry Jack Chevrolet    137    21        57.7    $114,918    Running        
24    5    21    Ryan Blaney(i)    Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford    137    0        78.9    $82,560    Running        
25    33    17    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.    Fastenal Ford    137    19        50.9    $93,635    Running        
26    30    9    Sam Hornish Jr.    Medallion Bank Ford    137    18        53.2    $111,630    Running        
27    36    51    Justin Allgaier    Switch Hitch Chevrolet    137    17        50.0    $104,618    Running        
28    15    14    Tony Stewart    Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet    137    16        63.7    $111,924    Running        
29    2    4    Kevin Harvick    Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet    137    17    2    117.2    $141,035    Running    2    63
30    35    46    Michael Annett    Pilot Flying J Chevrolet    137    14        44.2    $85,935    Running        
31    29    40    Landon Cassill(i)    CarsForSale.com Chevrolet    137    0        50.7    $83,785    Running        
32    40    35    Cole Whitt    Speed Stick Ford    137    12        39.8    $90,732    Running        
33    37    34    Brett Moffitt #    Dockside Logistics Ford    137    11        40.6    $82,610    Running        
34    39    98    Josh Wise    Ford    137    11    1    38.7    $81,010    Running    1    1
35    18    55    David Ragan    Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota    136    9        50.4    $108,059    Running        
36    21    16    Greg Biffle    Safety-Kleen Ford    136    8        39.0    $111,823    Running        
37    38    26    Jeb Burton #    Maxim Toyota    136    7        33.5    $80,731    Running        
38    41    23    JJ Yeley(i)    Dr Pepper Toyota    136    0        28.4    $76,142    Running        
39    43    83    Matt DiBenedetto #    Burger King Toyota    136    5        28.5    $72,070    Running        
40    42    32    Mike Bliss(i)    Skuttle Tight/CorvetteParts.net Ford    136    0        28.4    $68,070    Running        
41    28    7    Alex Bowman    Racing-Rewards.com Chevrolet    84    3        24.3    $64,070    Running        
42    34    38    David Gilliland    Love's Travel Stops Ford    64    2        32.6    $68,070    Accident        
43    10    18    Kyle Busch    M&M's Crispy Toyota    52    1        71.0    $101,561    Accident        
 Race Comments:    Kurt Busch won the Quicken Loans 400, his 27th career NASCAR Sprint Series victory. The race was shortened due to inclement weather. Prior to the start of the race, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: No. 23 (engine change).
 Failed to Qualify:    (1) 62 Brendan Gaughan(i).
 Time of Race:    02 Hrs, 21 Mins, 55 Secs.    Average Speed:    116.688 MPH    Margin of Victory:    Caution
 Caution Flags:    5 for 38 laps: Laps: 12-28 (Precipitation [Red Flag: Lap 14, 59:04; Lap 20, 34:09] [7]); 42-51 (Competition [Red Flag: Lap 46, 35:38] [None]); 54-59 (#18 accident turn 4 [None]); 126-129 (Debris turn 4 [13]); 138-138 (Precipitation [Red Flag: Lap 138] [31]).
 Lead Changes:    17 among 11 drivers: K. Kahne 0; C. Edwards 1; K. Kahne 2; C. Edwards 3-41; J. Wise 42; K. Harvick 43-82; M. Kenseth 83-84; B. Keselowski 85; K. Larson 86-87; J. Logano 88-94; D. Patrick 95-96; K. Harvick 97-119; D. Earnhardt Jr. 120; M. Kenseth 121; B. Keselowski 122-126; C. Edwards 127; K. Larson 128-132; Kurt Busch 133-138.
Chase Grid Outlook:     1.J. Johnson 506 (4 wins);2.K. Harvick 576 (2);3.Kurt Busch 426 (2);4.M. Truex Jr. 561 (1);5.J. Logano 520 (1);6.D. Earnhardt Jr. 508 (1);7.B. Keselowski 480 (1);8.M. Kenseth 456 (1);9.D. Hamlin 412 (1);10.C. Edwards 401 (1);11.J. Mcmurray 464 (0);12.K. Kahne 447 (0);13.J. Gordon 434 (0);14.P. Menard 421 (0);15.A. Almirola 401 (0);16.R. Newman 400 (0).
3M Lap Leader    : Kevin Harvick, #4 63 Laps    American Ethanol Green Flag Restart Award    : Carl Edwards, #19
Coors Light Pole Award    : Kasey Kahne, #5 201.992 mph    Duralast Brakes "Brake in the Race"    : Carl Edwards, #19
Ingersoll Rand Power Move    : Kurt Busch, #41 11 positions    Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race    : Hendrick Engines, #41
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race    : Kurt Busch, #41     Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race    : Paul Menard, #27 J. Alexander, 5.622 sec
Sherwin-Williams Fastest Lap    : Carl Edwards, #19 Lap 30, 196.457 mph    Sunoco Rookie of the Race    : Brett Moffitt, #34
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race:    Jun. 28, 2015 - Sonoma Raceway
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875

 

SATURDAY NOTEBOOK

ROWDY'S RETURN NOW OFFICIAL - Kyle Busch is a trooper.

Busch, the all-time wins leader in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, wasn't scared about his return to the series which nearly cost him everything. It was Xfinity competition where Busch crashed into a wall at Daytona and sustained injuries including a broken leg.

"No reservations about coming back to the Xfinity Series," Busch explained. "I've run it for so long, so many years. Yeah, I got hurt in it but I could've been hurt in any other race too on the Cup side. That's not what we worry about as drivers."

Busch's perseverance and determination delivered a win in Saturday afternoon's Great Clips 250 from Michigan International Speedway; his return to action in the Xfinity Series.

Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick appeared to be driving the race's dominant cars, but late-race contact between the pair knocked both drivers out of contention for the win. Chase Elliott assumed the lead, but Kyle Busch was on the prowl. Busch drove the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota by Elliott's No. 9 NAPA Chevrolet on the outside and would never look back.

Busch admitted the injury made this win take on new meaning.

"It's an emotional day and any win is," Busch said. "You never know when it's your last, obviously that's for sure after Daytona and what happened."

Busch, winless at Michigan since the 2004 season, led 27 laps but believes the ultimate goal of his return remains unfulfilled but believes the win is a step in the right direction.

"It feels good, but it's only preliminary to what we've got to do for Sunday, but it's a start," Busch said. "It was real hard racing today, crazy, side-by-side action and everything that we got here. Finally, the track's kind of widening out. It was a fun race for me, and I'm proud of the team and proud to get back in Victory Lane."

Following his second runner-up finish of the season, Xfinity Series champion Chase Elliott explained why he lost to Busch in the race's waning laps.

"He's (Kyle Busch) obviously really good at what he does," Elliott said. "I really don't have an excuse for you; he outran me."

Joey Logano started from the pole and dominated leading a race-high 54 laps, but the contact with Kevin Harvick late in the race forced him into the wall. Logano would settle for a seventh place finish. Harvick, driving the No. 88 Morton Buildings Chevrolet, finished one spot ahead in sixth place but took the blame for the late-race incident between him and Logano.

"I just got loose underneath him," Harvick admitted. "I had a huge run down the back straightaway and that late in the race I figured I needed to try to win the race. He was on the outside of me, and it was too late to not have contact at that particular point so totally my fought. I got loose under him going for the win."

Sprint Cup Series regular Kyle Larson finished in third place with Chris Buescher just behind with a fourth place finish. Buescher's Roush-Fenway Racing teammate Elliott Sadler rounded out the top five.

Buescher extended his reach on the Xfinity Series points standings to 25 points over second-place Ty Dillon. Chase Elliott is 35 points behind Buescher.

NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Number 13
Unofficial Race Results for the 24Th Annual Great Clips 250 Benefiting
Paralyzed Veterans Of America - Saturday, June 13, 2015
Michigan International Speedway - Brooklyn, MI - 2 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 125 Laps - 250 Miles - Purse: $1,145,097
Leader
Fin    Str    Car    Driver    Team    Laps    Pts    Bns    Driver Rating    Winnings    Status    Tms    Laps
1    11    54    Kyle Busch(i)    Monster Energy Toyota    125    0        137.1    $52,773    Running    3    27
2    12    9    Chase Elliott    NAPA Auto Parts Chevrolet    125    43    1    109.0    $41,458    Running    1    5
3    4    42    Kyle Larson(i)    ParkerStore Chevrolet    125    0        104.0    $26,229    Running        
4    20    60    Chris Buescher    Roush Performance Products Ford    125    41    1    117.7    $31,031    Running    2    23
5    16    1    Elliott Sadler    OneMain Financial Ford    125    39        91.4    $27,396    Running        
6    7    88    Kevin Harvick(i)    Morton Buildings Chevrolet    125    0        114.6    $19,450    Running        
7    1    22    Joey Logano(i)    Discount Tire Ford    125    0        129.3    $28,607    Running    4    54
8    14    98    Aric Almirola(i)    Shelby American Ford    125    0        89.9    $19,040    Running    1    1
9    2    2    Brian Scott    Shore Lodge Chevrolet    125    36    1    106.6    $25,518    Running    2    10
10    13    20    Denny Hamlin(i)    Sun Energy Toyota    125    0        96.9    $19,490    Running        
11    8    7    Regan Smith    Suave Men Chevrolet    125    33        94.5    $24,362    Running        
12    6    62    Brendan Gaughan    South Point Chevrolet    125    32        81.6    $24,185    Running        
13    9    3    Ty Dillon    Red Kap/Arrow Uniform Chevrolet    125    31        85.9    $23,932    Running        
14    15    25    Alex Bowman(i)    Zaxby's Chevrolet    125    0        80.0    $17,805    Running        
15    3    6    Darrell Wallace Jr. #    Ford EcoBoost Ford    125    29        86.6    $25,779    Running        
16    18    43    Dakoda Armstrong    WinField Ford    125    28        71.1    $23,552    Running        
17    17    39    Ryan Sieg    JoeUSA.com Chevrolet    125    27        72.9    $23,501    Running        
18    5    33    Paul Menard(i)    Richmond/Menards Chevrolet    125    0        93.8    $17,701    Running    1    5
19    19    16    Ryan Reed    Lilly/American Diabetes Association Ford    124    25        65.0    $23,400    Running        
20    10    18    Daniel Suarez #    ARRIS Toyota    124    24        72.1    $23,850    Running        
21    23    4    Ross Chastain #    Rally's/Checker's Chevrolet    124    23        60.5    $23,273    Running        
22    22    0    Harrison Rhodes #    Vecoplan Chevrolet    124    22        53.6    $23,218    Running        
23    32    24    Eric McClure    Hefty Toyota    124    21        41.9    $23,168    Running        
24    33    97    Peyton Sellers #    VroomBrands Chevrolet    123    20        43.4    $23,091    Running        
25    24    28    JJ Yeley    Texas 28 Spirits Stage Toyota    122    19        61.1    $23,191    Running        
26    29    14    Cale Conley #    IAVA Toyota    122    18        55.6    $22,965    Running        
27    35    52    Joey Gase    Gift of Life Michigan/DB Sales Chevrolet    122    17        43.5    $22,914    Running        
28    34    90    Martin Roy    Gamache Truck Center Chevrolet    122    16        44.1    $22,838    Running        
29    36    13    Josh Reaume #    Braille Battery/Grafoid Chevrolet    121    15        36.9    $22,787    Running        
30    37    15    Jimmy Weller    Lilly Trucking Chevrolet    120    14        34.8    $23,037    Running        
31    27    51    Jeremy Clements    Diamond Pistons/RepairableVehicles.com Chevrolet    111    13        61.7    $22,682    Accident        
32    40    74    Mike Harmon     Dodge    107    12        32.1    $22,621    Running        
33    21    44    David Starr    Zachry Toyota    105    11        54.4    $22,580    Accident        
34    26    55    Jeffrey Earnhardt    Fronius/Viva Auto Group Chevrolet    105    10        50.2    $22,559    Accident        
35    28    01    Landon Cassill    Buddie Toys Chevrolet    79    9        44.8    $22,530    Running        
36    25    8    Blake Koch    LeafFilter Gutter Protection Toyota    74    8        45.3    $20,909    Electrical        
37    38    70    Derrike Cope    Jackson Coffee Co./Sammi's Best Chevrolet    32    7        32.5    $19,909    Transmission        
38    39    40    Carl Long    Braille Battery/Grafoid Dodge    31    6        30.3    $12,909    Vibration        
39    31    19    Jeff Green    TriStar Motorsports Toyota    2    5        30.3    $11,909    Vibration        
40    30    26    CJ Faison    JGL Graphics Toyota    0    4        28.6    $10,909    Electrical        
 Race Comments:    Kyle Busch won the Great Clips 250 Benefiting Paralyzed Veterans of America, his 71st career NASCAR XFINITY Series victory. Prior to the start of the race, the following car dropped to the rear of the field for the reason indicated: No. 26 (unapproved adjustments).
 Failed to Qualify:    N/A
 Time of Race:    01 Hrs, 53 Mins, 09 Secs.    Average Speed:    132.567 MPH    Margin of Victory:    0.477 Seconds
 Caution Flags:    8 for 26 laps: Laps: 7-9 (#55 accident turn 4 [None]); 27-29 (Competition [15]); 31-33 (#14 spin turn 3 [74]); 46-48 (#01 stalled on backstretch [39]); 93-96 (Debris on pit road [62]); 103-105 (#18 accident turn 3 [20]); 108-111 (#6, 44, 55 accident turn 3 [51]); 113-115 (#14, 16, 33, 51 accident turn 4 [Red Flag: Lap 113, 5:44] [43]).
 Lead Changes:    13 among 7 drivers: J. Logano(i) 1-9; B. Scott 10-15; K. Busch(i) 16-29; B. Scott 30-33; K. Busch(i) 34-42; J. Logano(i) 43-73; P. Menard(i) 74-78; C. Buescher 79-88; A. Almirola(i) 89; J. Logano(i) 90-92; C. Buescher 93-105; J. Logano(i) 106-116; C. Elliott 117-121; K. Busch(i) 122-125.
Top 10 Driver Points:     (1) C. Buescher 489;(2) T. Dillon 464;(3) C. Elliott 454;(4) R. Smith 434;(5) D. Wallace Jr. # 428;(6) E. Sadler 414;(7) B. Scott 394;(8) R. Reed 378;(9) B. Gaughan 378;(10) D. Suarez # 369.
3M Lap Leader    : Kyle Busch, #54 27 Laps    Coors Light Pole Award    : Joey Logano, #22 193.637 mph
Duralast Brakes "Brake in the Race"    : Joey Logano, #22     Mahle Clevite Engine Builder of the Race    : Roush-Yates Engines, #22
Mobil 1 Driver of the Race    : Chris Buescher, #60     Sunoco Rookie of the Race    : Darrell Wallace Jr, #6
(i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Next Race:    Jun. 20, 2015 - Chicagoland Speedway
NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875  

 

CUSTER OUTLASTS RAIN FOR 2ND CAREER WIN - Patience usually isn't a virtue for a teenager.

Patience allowed 17-year old Cole Custer to take the checkered flag in Saturday night's Drivin' for Linemen 200 at Gateway Motorsports Park, a 1.25-mile oval just outside St. Louis, Missouri. Custer waited out a near two-hour rain delay and almost the entire race, but he passed Tyler Reddick with five laps to go to clinch the victory.

The win is the second victory of his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career; his first since switching over to Dale Earnhardt, Jr’s JR Motorsports.  

Custer, driving the No. 00 Haas Automation Chevrolet knew he would be in position for the victory despite only leading 14 laps until the race's final restart.

"I think we had a shot all night," Custer said. "I knew that if things played right like they did, we were definitely going to have a shot to win even though we didn't have the best truck. I don't know what happened to the No. 4 (Erik Jones) but I know he spun out there, and I think that put us third. That was a pretty good spot. Then the No. 88 and the No. 8 got together, so that played into our hands. We were just able to get a good restart there."

Custer's crew chief Joe Shear, Jr, went to Victory Lane earlier this season at Charlotte when Kasey Kahne wheeled the No. 00 to a win. Shear, Jr, admitted Custer's demeanor is far beyond his years.

"He's been doing a fantastic job since we started doing this a couple years ago," Shear, Jr, explained. "He really is mature for his age and he does a great job. I don't even think anything bothers him - when we tell him to go, he goes."

Custer's first of two late race breaks came with just 16 laps to go when Erik Jones spun while attempting to pass a lapped car. Jones dominated for most of the race leading 84 laps but was forced to settle for a 23rd place finish.

The second break Custer came on the following restart with ten laps to go. John Hunter Nemechek, running third, appeared to lose control of his No. 8 SWM Chevrolet and made contact with Matt Crafton, sending Crafton into the wall and out of the race early. Crafton led 49 laps but, like Jones, was forced to settle outside the top-20 with a 21st place finish.

Spencer Gallagher notched a second place finish followed by Crafton's ThorSport Racing teammate Johnny Sauter in third place. Nemechek recovered from the late race incident to bring home a fourth place finish and rookie Cameron Hayley rounded out the top five.

Despite the early exit from the race, Crafton still maintains his lead on the NCWTS points standings with a 12 point lead over Tyler Reddick, who finished eighth.

Race Results
Gateway Motorsports Park
2nd Annual Drivin' for Linemen 200
UNOFFICIAL    Provided by NASCAR Statistics     Saturday, 6/13/2015 @ 11:58 PM Central    UNOFFICIAL
Fin    Str    Trk    Driver    Team    Lap    Pts    BPts    Status    TLd    LLd
1    2    00    Cole Custer    Haas Automation Chevrolet    160    47    4    Running    2    19
2    14    23    Spencer Gallagher #    Allegiant Travel Chevrolet    160    42    Running
3    4    98    Johnny Sauter    Nextant/Curb Records Toyota    160    42    1    Running    1    4
4    12    8    John H. Nemechek #    SWM/NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet    160    40    Running
5    9    13    Cameron Hayley #    Cabinets by Hayley/Carolina Nut Co. Toyota    160    39    Running
6    13    17    Timothy Peters    Red Horse Racing Toyota    160    38    Running
7    15    11    Ben Kennedy    Local Motors Toyota    160    37    Running
8    6    19    Tyler Reddick    BBR Music Group Ford    160    37    1    Running    1    4
9    7    14    Daniel Hemric #    California Clean Power Chevrolet    160    35    Running
10    10    29    Austin Theriault #    Cooper Standard Ford    160    34    Running
11    11    05    John Wes Townley    Zaxby's Chevrolet    160    33    Running
12    5    33    Brandon Jones #    Master Force Chevrolet    160    32    Running
13    18    07    Ray Black Jr. #    ScubaLife.com Chevrolet    160    31    Running
14    20    50    Travis Kvapil    BurnieGrill.com Chevrolet    160    30    Running
15    17    02    Tyler Young    Randco/Young's Building Supplies Chevrolet    160    29    Running
16    21    63    Tyler Tanner    Vatterott College/Mittler Bros. Chevrolet    159    28    Running
17    28    1    Ryan Ellis    Altec Chevrolet    157    27    Running
18    23    94    Timmy Hill    Premium Motorsports Chevrolet    157    26    Running
19    27    74    Jordan Anderson    Jordan Anderson Racing Chevrolet    156    25    Running
20    25    10    Jennifer Jo Cobb    POW-MIAFamilies.org Chevrolet    156    24    Running
21    3    88    Matt Crafton    Ideal Door/Menards Toyota    151    24    1    Accident    3    49
22    24    08    Korbin Forrister #    Tilted Kilt Chevrolet    148    22    Running
23    1    4    Erik Jones #    Special Olympics World Games Toyota    145    23    2    Electrical    3    84
24    26    45    Tommy Regan    Trijicon/Cope's Distribution Chevrolet    108    20    Electrical
25    8    51    Matt Tifft    ToytoaCare Toyota    92    19    Accident
26    29    6    Norm Benning    Boedeker Construction Chevrolet    56    18    Brakes
27    19    54    Justin Boston #    ROKMobile.com Toyota    51    17    Accident
28    16    15    Mason Mingus    811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet    51    16    Accident
29    22    36    Justin Jennings    Mittler Bros./Ski Soda Chevrolet    26    15    Brakes
30    31    03    Michael Affarano(i)    Michael Affarano Motorsports Chevrolet    13    PE    Brakes
31    30    0    Adam Edwards    Driven2Honor.org Chevrolet    6    PE    Brakes
32    32    57    Joey Gattina    Truckworx Chevrolet    0    PE    Engine

# = Rookie, Fin = Finish, Str = Start, Pts = Total Points, BPs = Lap Leader Bns Pts, TLd = Times Led, LLd = Laps Led. (i) Ineligible for driver points in this series
Average Speed: 96.970 MPH    Time of Race: 2 Hrs, 03 Mins, 45 Secs.    Margin of Victory: 0.871 Seconds
Lead Changes: 9 among 5 drivers    Cautions: 6 for 35 laps

FRIDAY NOTEBOOK - KANE REIGNS SUPREME IN QUALIFYING

 

 

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER THAN KAHNE - Kasey Kahne wasn't going to be denied.

The driver of the No. 5 Farmer's Insurance Chevrolet snagged his first pole of the 2015 Sprint Cup season during Friday afternoon's qualifying for the Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The pole is the 27th of his career and third of his career at Michigan. It will be the first time Kahne has started on the pole since the 2012 season.

Kahne won at Michigan in 2006, starting from the pole.

"I felt like we had a great car all day to this point," Kahne said. "Tomorrow's a big day to prepare for Sunday. This is a big start to the weekend; it's been a long time since I had a pole, since 2012. In the past it seemed way easier to win poles so the last three years have been more difficult for some reason to qualify first but we're able to do that today and this was able to propel us into a good Sunday and also more poles throughout the season."

Kahne's blistering average speed of  201.992 mph was able to knock perennial front-runner Kevin Harvick from the top spot, the driver of the No. 4 Budweiser Chevrolet will start on the outside of row one.

Harvick started on the pole for this race last season and has finished runner-up in the last four Sprint Cup races at Michigan. The defending Sprint Cup champion recorded his lone win at Michigan back in 2010.

Michigan-native Brad Keselowski will start in third-place with Ryan Blaney and Carl Edwards rounding out the top five while Brendan Gaughan was the only driver who failed to make Sunday's field of 43.

Time Trial Results
Michigan International Speedway
47th Annual Quicken Loans 400
Provided by NASCAR Statistics - Fri, June 12, 2015 @ 05:43 PM Eastern
Driver    Date    Time    Speed
Track Qualifying Record:    Jeff Gordon     08/17/14    34.857    206.558
Pos    Car    Driver    Team    Time    Speed    Lap #    # Laps    -Fastest    -Next
Qualifying Round:    3
1        5    Kasey Kahne    Great Clips Chevrolet    35.645    201.992    1    1    0.000    0.000
2        4    Kevin Harvick    Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet    35.712    201.613    1    1    0.067    0.067
3        2    Brad Keselowski    Miller Lite Ford    35.741    201.449    1    1    0.096    0.029
4        19    Carl Edwards    ARRIS Toyota    35.809    201.067    1    1    0.164    0.068
5        21    Ryan Blaney(i)    Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford    35.811    201.056    1    1    0.166    0.002
6        24    Jeff Gordon    Panasonic Chevrolet    35.823    200.988    1    1    0.178    0.012
7        3    Austin Dillon    American Ethanol Chevrolet    35.836    200.915    1    1    0.191    0.013
8        48    Jimmie Johnson    Kobalt Tools Chevrolet    35.882    200.658    1    1    0.237    0.046
9        78    Martin Truex Jr.    Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet    35.896    200.579    1    1    0.251    0.014
10        18    Kyle Busch    M&M's Crispy Toyota    35.916    200.468    1    1    0.271    0.020
11        22    Joey Logano    Shell Pennzoil Ford    35.925    200.418    1    1    0.280    0.009
12        20    Matt Kenseth    Dollar General Toyota    36.076    199.579    1    1    0.431    0.151
Qualifying Round:    2
1        4    Kevin Harvick    Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet    35.645    201.992    1    1    0.000    0.000
2        5    Kasey Kahne    Great Clips Chevrolet    35.703    201.664    1    1    0.058    0.058
3        24    Jeff Gordon    Panasonic Chevrolet    35.799    201.123    1    1    0.154    0.096
4        19    Carl Edwards    ARRIS Toyota    35.812    201.050    1    1    0.167    0.013
5        18    Kyle Busch    M&M's Crispy Toyota    35.839    200.898    3    3    0.194    0.027
6        2    Brad Keselowski    Miller Lite Ford    35.845    200.865    1    1    0.200    0.006
7        22    Joey Logano    Shell Pennzoil Ford    35.850    200.837    1    1    0.205    0.005
8        21    Ryan Blaney(i)    Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford    35.872    200.714    1    1    0.227    0.022
9        20    Matt Kenseth    Dollar General Toyota    35.929    200.395    1    1    0.284    0.057
10        48    Jimmie Johnson    Kobalt Tools Chevrolet    35.935    200.362    1    1    0.290    0.006
11        78    Martin Truex Jr.    Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet    35.980    200.111    3    3    0.335    0.045
12        3    Austin Dillon    American Ethanol Chevrolet    36.003    199.983    3    3    0.358    0.023
13        11    Denny Hamlin    FedEx Express Toyota    36.012    199.933    1    1    0.367    0.009
14        88    Dale Earnhardt Jr.    AMP Energy Chevrolet    36.013    199.928    3    3    0.368    0.001
15        14    Tony Stewart    Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet    36.061    199.662    1    3    0.416    0.048
16        42    Kyle Larson    Target Chevrolet    36.102    199.435    3    3    0.457    0.041
17        27    Paul Menard    Moen/Menards Chevrolet    36.117    199.352    1    3    0.472    0.015
18        55    David Ragan    Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota    36.184    198.983    1    3    0.539    0.067
19        10    Danica Patrick    GoDaddy Chevrolet    36.279    198.462    1    1    0.634    0.095
20        6    Trevor Bayne    AdvoCare Ford    36.294    198.380    1    3    0.649    0.015
21        16    Greg Biffle    Safety-Kleen Ford    36.324    198.216    1    2    0.679    0.030
22        33    Ty Dillon(i)    Nexium 24Hr Chevrolet    36.330    198.183    1    3    0.685    0.006
23        31    Ryan Newman    Quicken Loans Chevrolet    36.340    198.129    1    2    0.695    0.010
24        41    Kurt Busch    Haas Automation Chevrolet    36.440    197.585    3    3    0.795    0.100
Pos    Car    Driver    Team    Time    Speed    Lap #    # Laps    -Fastest    -Next

Qualifying Round:    1
1        4    Kevin Harvick    Budweiser/Jimmy John's Chevrolet    35.748    201.410    1    1    0.000    0.000
2        5    Kasey Kahne    Great Clips Chevrolet    35.909    200.507    1    1    0.161    0.161
3        11    Denny Hamlin    FedEx Express Toyota    35.965    200.195    1    1    0.217    0.056
4        22    Joey Logano    Shell Pennzoil Ford    36.057    199.684    1    1    0.309    0.092
5        19    Carl Edwards    ARRIS Toyota    36.064    199.645    1    1    0.316    0.007
6        21    Ryan Blaney(i)    Motorcraft/Quick Lane Tire & Auto Center Ford    36.084    199.534    1    1    0.336    0.020
7        14    Tony Stewart    Bass Pro Shops/Mobil 1 Chevrolet    36.092    199.490    1    1    0.344    0.008
8        48    Jimmie Johnson    Kobalt Tools Chevrolet    36.120    199.336    1    1    0.372    0.028
9        2    Brad Keselowski    Miller Lite Ford    36.205    198.868    1    1    0.457    0.085
10        20    Matt Kenseth    Dollar General Toyota    36.207    198.857    1    1    0.459    0.002
11        3    Austin Dillon    American Ethanol Chevrolet    36.213    198.824    1    1    0.465    0.006
12        88    Dale Earnhardt Jr.    AMP Energy Chevrolet    36.252    198.610    1    1    0.504    0.039
13        41    Kurt Busch    Haas Automation Chevrolet    36.287    198.418    1    1    0.539    0.035
14        55    David Ragan    Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota    36.337    198.145    1    1    0.589    0.050
15        27    Paul Menard    Moen/Menards Chevrolet    36.343    198.112    1    1    0.595    0.006
16        31    Ryan Newman    Quicken Loans Chevrolet    36.343    198.112    3    3    0.595    0.000
17        78    Martin Truex Jr.    Furniture Row/Visser Precision Chevrolet    36.370    197.965    1    1    0.622    0.027
18        42    Kyle Larson    Target Chevrolet    36.388    197.867    1    1    0.640    0.018
19        24    Jeff Gordon    Panasonic Chevrolet    36.526    197.120    1    1    0.778    0.138
20        33    Ty Dillon(i)    Nexium 24Hr Chevrolet    36.526    197.120    1    1    0.778    0.000
21        18    Kyle Busch    M&M's Crispy Toyota    36.537    197.061    1    1    0.789    0.011
22        16    Greg Biffle    Safety-Kleen Ford    36.544    197.023    1    1    0.796    0.007
23        10    Danica Patrick    GoDaddy Chevrolet    36.550    196.990    3    3    0.802    0.006
24        6    Trevor Bayne    AdvoCare Ford    36.586    196.797    1    2    0.838    0.036
25        1    Jamie McMurray    McDonald's Chevrolet    36.599    196.727    1    1    0.851    0.013
26        43    Aric Almirola    Smithfield Ford    36.605    196.694    3    3    0.857    0.006
27        13    Casey Mears    GEICO Chevrolet    36.630    196.560    3    5    0.882    0.025
28        7    Alex Bowman    Racing-Rewards.com Chevrolet    36.657    196.415    1    3    0.909    0.027
29        40    Landon Cassill(i)    CarsForSale.com Chevrolet    36.660    196.399    3    3    0.912    0.003
30        9    Sam Hornish Jr.    Medallion Bank Ford    36.788    195.716    1    5    1.040    0.128
31        47    AJ Allmendinger    Kroger/Hungry Jack Chevrolet    36.812    195.588    1    4    1.064    0.024
32        15    Clint Bowyer    Cherry5HourEnergy/SpecialOprtsWarriorFndtn     36.814    195.578    1    2    1.066    0.002
33        17    Ricky Stenhouse Jr.    Fastenal Ford    36.814    195.578    1    3    1.066    0.000
34        38    David Gilliland    Love's Travel Stops Ford    36.831    195.487    1    3    1.083    0.017
35        46    Michael Annett    Pilot Flying J Chevrolet    36.984    194.679    3    3    1.236    0.153
36        51    Justin Allgaier    Switch Hitch Chevrolet    37.104    194.049    1    5    1.356    0.120
37    OP    34    Brett Moffitt #    Dockside Logistics Ford    37.195    193.574    3    3    1.447    0.091
38    OP    26    Jeb Burton #    Maxim Toyota    37.202    193.538    1    2    1.454    0.007
39    OP    98    Josh Wise     Ford    37.331    192.869    3    3    1.583    0.129
40    OP    35    Cole Whitt    Speed Stick Ford    37.333    192.859    3    3    1.585    0.002
41    OP    23    JJ Yeley(i)    Dr Pepper Toyota    37.654    191.215    3    3    1.906    0.321
42    OP    32    Mike Bliss(i)    Skuttle Tight/CorvetteParts.net Ford    37.797    190.491    3    3    2.049    0.143
43    OP    83    Matt DiBenedetto #    Burger King Toyota    37.973    189.608    1    1    2.225    0.176
44        62    Brendan Gaughan(i)     Chevrolet    38.431    187.349    1    1    2.683    0.458

FORD LOOKING TO CONTINUE HOMETRACK DOMINANCE- For NASCAR manufacturers Ford and Chevrolet, the Sprint Cup race at Michigan is a home game.

Ford has the edge in the homestate showdown winning 34 times including the inaugural Sprint Cup race at Michigan in 1969. If you include the 12 wins Mercury has nabbed at the track, Ford Motor Co. has visited victory lane in over half of the races at the Brooklyn, Michigan track.

Greg Biffle, who has driven a Ford to victory four times at Michigan, leads all active drivers in wins at Michigan. Biffle recorded a win to help power Ford to a season sweep at Michigan back in 2013; Joey Logano won the second race.

GORDON WANTS A WIN - Jeff Gordon announced his postseason retirement before the 2015 Sprint Cup season. Since then he hasn't been able to enjoy any good luck and frustrations are starting to mount for the four-time Sprint Cup champion.

Gordon admitted last week at Pocono was a frustrating effort.

"We had a car far better than what we finished.  I would say a little bit of build up with the type of season that we have had so far," Gordon admitted. "It seems like every time we have a car that is capable of either winning or running in the top five some circumstances come about that take us kind of out of that.  That is frustrating.  When you are in the closing laps of a race or coming down to the final pit stops, and you are making choices and decisions, you are not always going to like those decisions.   At that point, I think both Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) was frustrated, and I was frustrated.  The restarts weren’t going great.  We took a risk on pit strategy, and the caution came out.  That blew that strategy, and that put us back.  We saw how tough it was to pass and track position was really important, especially in that final run.  He was thinking that we needed to come in.  I felt like the car was pretty good at that point.

"I rarely ever question those calls.  He is the crew chief and he makes great calls, but at that point I felt like I needed to stay out, and it got a little heated.  But it is all good.  We are big boys.  We respect the heck out of one another, and we had great conversations this week."

Gordon won the last Sprint Cup race at Michigan and enjoys every trip to the track.

"This is a track, certainly after how we performed last year, and just a track that I’ve enjoyed over the years a lot; I love the transitions, I love the speeds, I love the big sweeping corners and the challenges that this track presents to a driver," Gordon said. "You can move around. And the groove is starting to get wider and wider each time we come here. So, yeah, I definitely have confidence with the type of season that we’ve had so far. It’s great to come to a place like Michigan."

Gordon knows one race can't turn around an entire season, but the veteran does believe he can start a turnaround at the two-mile speedway known for high speeds and sweeping corners.

"We were fast in practice. It looks like we’re going to get a chance to qualify, so I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of laps we can lay down in qualifying and regain that confidence that we need, not just here a Michigan, but everywhere to go out there and compete for wins," Gordon added. "The team is working extremely hard to make those improvements and give me what I need to go out there and have confidence. And that’s really, to me, what we’ve been lacking a little bit of. The performance has not quite been there. The confidence has not quite been there. And it all comes together when you have those things.  And it doesn’t happen overnight. But, one race can make a huge difference in getting you back there, and I think this is definitely a track that can do that for us.”

ROWDY BACK TO DOUBLE-DUTY AT MICHIGAN - Kyle Busch is synomous with NASCAR's Xfinity series. His 70 wins in the series are more than any other driver in the NASCAR touring series. But with much reward comes much risk, it was the Xfinity Series which saw Busch slam into a wall sustaining injuries which forced him to miss a chunk of the 2015 season.

But Rowdy returns.

Kyle Busch will be back in the iconic No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota in this weekend's Xfinity Series race at Michigan. Busch has notched one win, one pole and six top-five finishes in Xfinity competition at Michigan with the win coming over ten years ago in 2004.

Last season's Xfinity race at Michigan saw Busch lead a majority of laps but differing pit stop strategies forced him to settle for a fourth place finish. Busch has business left to settle in Brooklyn, Michigan.

“I'm really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel of the 54 Monster Energy Toyota this weekend," Busch said. "I can’t say enough about how much Monster Energy, JGR, Toyota and all my guys have helped me and pulled for me to get back into the XFINITY car. This is a continuation of my recovery since Daytona, and we hope to continue to add to my schedule going forward through the rest of the year. I'm looking forward to working with (crew chief) Chris Gayle again and I’m optimistic for a good run at Michigan. If I remember it right, my last run here in the No. 54 started off strong, we didn’t get the finish we wanted then, but I look to redeem that this week.”

Busch returns behind a wheel which has been guided by Denny Hamlin, Erik Jones and Boris Said so far this season but for crew chief Chris Gayle, Busch's return garners all new excitement.

“The entire team is really excited to have Kyle back in the car for Michigan," Gayle explained. "I'm looking forward to working with him there and continuing to build our communication as a driver/crewchief combination that we started in Daytona. Michigan is a big wide-open racetrack with really fast corners. It's important to have a good-handling car and be able to carry speed off the wide corners here. Since the track was repaved in 2012, track position has also become critical for success in Michigan. This team has been improving and knocking on the door for that first win the last couple of weeks.

"There couldn't be a more perfect time to get it than with KB driving in Michigan.”