Sunday, November 21, 2010

Edwards Dominants in Second Straight NASCAR Victory

Johnson hangs on for 5th straight NASCAR Championship
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

 MIAMI, FL.- The Ford 400 at Homestead Speedway lived up to it's billing on Sunday afternoon.  Roush Fenway racer Carl Edwards (Pictured Left) gained the lead early and never looked back, scoring his second straight NASCAR victory. The story of the day was Hendrick racer Jimmie Johnson, who took the checkers in second place, en route to his fifth straight NASCAR Championship. Richard Childress Racing ace Kevin Harvick finished the day in third place, ending the Chase in third place, forty-one points behind Johnson, and just two points behind second place Joe Gibbs racer Denny Hamlin (Pictured Right). A great run for Richard Petty Enterprise racer Aric Almirola ended in a fourth place showing. Almirola's Richard Petty Enterprises teammate AJ Allmendinger nabbed a much needed top five finish.
 
Polesitter Kasey Kahne (Pictured Left) had a solid day, coming home in sixth. Kahne will go into surgery at 5:30 AM Tuesday morning to repair his knees. Stewart-Haas teammates Ryan Newman (7th) and Tony Stewart (8th) turned in solid top ten finishes. Roush-Fenway driver Matt Kenseth flirted with the top five all day, ending the season with a nineth place finish. Greg Biffle came back from early contact with Denny Hamlin to take tenth.

Hamlin's day was a battle to say the least. Early on in the race, Hamlin made incidental contact with Biffle, which results in a spin, after taking the green flag in 37th. Kevin Harvick braved a late pit road speeding penalty to take third place in both the race and the points. Hamlin took the checkers in fourteenth place.

The Championship run was not easily to say the least for Johnson (Pictured Right). Johnson battled back from slow pit stops, to take the title, his fifth straight. In comparison to other major professional sports team winning five straight titles, the Yankees and John Force come to mind. The New York Yankees won five Championships in the 1960's, and Force's marvelous run to 10 straight NHRA Championships in the 1990's. Congrats to Jimmie Johnson on his fifth NASCAR Crown. I want to congratulate both the 24 and 48 pit road crews for their will to get Johnson up front all year long. Great Job guys. I can't wait to see what next season brings.

NASCAR Results credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/leaderboard/cup/race/

Carl Edwards Picture credited to:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/multimedia/photo_gallery/0904/cbk.final.four.celebrity.picks/content.18.html

Denny Hamlin Picture credited to:
http://stockcarracing.automotive.com/49648/scrp-0607-denny-hamlin-biography/index.html

Kasey Kahne Picture credited to:
http://rubbingsracing.com/rubbingsracingWP/2010/10/22/nscs-kasey-kahne-and-red-bull-racing-address-the-media-2/

Jimmie Johnson Picture credited to:
http://www.tailgate365.com/nascar/2009/12/jimmie-johnson-named-ap-athlete-of-the-year/

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Special Night of Recognition for Miami County Speedway

Peru native Braiden Black among 2010 track champions
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider
Photos By: Fred Patton(www.fredericsphoto.com)

PERU, IN.- On Saturday, November 20th, the VFW Building was the sight of the 2010 Awards Banquet for the Miami County Speedway. MCS crowned five new track champions in five different classes (Junior, Restrictor, Wing, Non Wing, and Senior), as well as recognizing it's track officials. Hardware for the Rookie of the Year was also awarded.

After a big dinner of ham and/or chicken and noodles, it was time to give out all the awards. First off was the recognition for the many track officials. Track officials being recognized included the Watts family (Eric, Mary Jo, Krista (Pictured Left), and Elizabeth), Kevin Ping, track officials (Ricky, Kelvin, EMS workers Wayne and John), announcer Rob, Fred Patton, John Wiedeman, and me (track reporter) was presented a certificate of recognition, along with a very nice winter jacket with the Miami County Speedway logo on the left side and the worker's name on the right side.

The program shifted to recognizing the track sponsors this year. Track sponsors being recognized for 2010 included;  Red Dot Trophys, Miami County Trucking, Thrifty Muffler, Bretzman, Finer Details, Maximum Power Sports (formerly Max Pitts), Drew Olsen Graphics, Brandt's Harley-Davidson, Kokomo Honda, OSR Bikes & Motors, Gamester Racing Products (GRP Chassis), Hyper Racing, Wooten Power, Southside Sales, Patio Furniture Enterprises, Factor One Racing, C&D Racing, Coca-Cola Bottling Company of Kokomo (Indiana).

 After announcing the business sponsors for 2010, the program moved into the top tens for each of the five different classes of micro sprint racing this season. First up was the Junior Class. Taking tenth place honors was Devan Myers. Nineth went to Kiara Abbott, while Jacob Kernel ended the season in eighth. Seventh went to Kiara's bigger brother Stanley Abbott, while Jerrod Van Ness walked away with sixth. Kameron Butcher ended the season in fifth, while Jacob Bigger came home fourth. A pair of Denver natives finished second in third in the Junior points. Justin Harper ended the year in third, while second place honors went to Seth Ireland. Kokomo, IN. racer Kayaleb Bolton (Pictured Right) is your new 2010 Miami County Speedway Track Champion for the Junior Class.

After his big night, Bolton said, "My season was awesome. I'm happy to win the Junior Class Track Championship this year."

Bolton would like to thank his Mom and Dad, Ryan Kline, his Uncle Jimmy, Moser Automotive, Al Parigen (Parigen Engines), his Ma and Pa Bolton, Mama and Papa Joyce, Miami County Speedway and Tim McKey for all their support this season.

 Next up to be awarded was the top ten finishers in the very tough Restrictor Class. Gavin Taylor came home tenth, while Andrew Smith finished the year in nineth. Lauren Longbrake ended up eighth, while Dalton Walker took seventh. Barbie Kimmel walked away with sixth, while fifth went to Deavan Bolton. Cole Angle was fourth, while third belonged to Shelby Larson. Zach Shepler ended the year in second. Peru native Braiden Black (Pictured Left) was crowned as your 2010 Track Champion in the Restictor Class.

"We had a great season. It feels awesome to take home the Track Championship in the Restrictor Class this year," Black said.

"I would like to thank George and Tammy Gamester (GRP Chassis, my Dad (Todd Black) and my Mom (Michelle Black) and everyone that helped me this sesaon. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Katie Milroy," Black continued.

The Senior Class Top Ten followed the Restrictor Class. Finishing tenth in the Senior Class in 2010 was Tony Carlson, while Wesley Bigger finished nineth. Eighth went to Gary Miller, while Bob Baker ended the year in seventh. Joe Taylor came home sixth, while Clarance Hoch came home fifth. Greg Baer ended the season in fourth, while third went to Bruce Bretzman, while Mike Stahl took second place honors. Your new 2010 Miami County Speedway Track Champion for the Senior Class was Flora, IN. racer Cory Angle (Pictured Right).

After taking home the first Senior Class Track Championship at Miami County Speedway, Angle said, "My season went pretty good. My boy (Cole) never flipped. We had a pretty good season."

"I would like to than my Dad (Ed). My Dad also was the crew chief. I would also like to than my sister (Carla Tetralua), along with my sponsor Singletree Trucking Transportation for all their help this season. One more person I would like to than is Cole's friend Dylan Cromer for helping us in the pits."

The Wing Class was the fourth of the five classes to be recognized. Taking tenth place this season in the Wing Class was Joe Taylor. Sam Kimmel raced his way to a nineth place finish. Randy Shilling ended the year in eighth, while seventh went to Chris Smith. Tyler Courtney came home in fifth, while fourth belonged to Austin Mead. Ben Taylor took third place honors, while second went to Bob Bourff. Your new 2010 Miami County Speedway Track Champion in the Wing Class is Kokomo racer Logan Jarrett (Pictured Left).

"We had a pretty good season. This is my first Track Championship," Jarrett explained.

"I would like to thank all my sponsors, as well as my Mom and Dad, and Sister for all their support this season," said Jarrett.


The fifth and final class to be recognized was the Non-Wing Class. Aaron Davis ended the year in tenth, while Kris Knox took home nineth. Eighth place went to Sam Kimmel, while Zeke Lewis raced his way to seventh. Tyler Courtney ended the year in sixth, while Ben Taylor took home fifth. Brandon Rose came home third, while Laine Hite raced his way to second. Your new 2010 Miami County Speedway Track Champion in the Non-Wing Class is North Manchester, IN. native Jordan Lambert (Pictured Right).

After his big night, Lambert said, "We had a pretty successful season. I think we won six Non-Wing features this season."

"I would like to thank my Dad (Steve Lambert) and my Mom (Linda Lambert), Schrader Auto Parts, Ridge Company NAPA, and KC Hughes," Lambert continued.


Following the five class trophy presentions (Upper Center), it was time for the Rookie of the Year awards to be handed out. The first of the five Rookie of the Year awards went to Denver, IN. native Seth Ireland in the Junior Class. The Restrictor Rookie of the Year was next, and that went to Dalton Walker. There was no Rookie of the Year award handed out for the Senior Class, because they were all adults and this was the first full year racing for the class at Miami County Speedway. The Rookie of the Year in the Wing Class went to Randy Shilling, while Jordan Sterling brought home the Rookie of the Year in the Non-Wing Class.

The awards portion of the night ended with the presentation of the Max Lambert Sportsmanship Award. Brothers Austin and Chase Mead were both awarded the Max Lambert Sportsmanship Award. The voting for the award resulted in a tie for both the Mead brothers.

There will be no big changes to Miami County Speedway for next season. "We poured fifty more loads of dirt on the track two weeks ago," MCS Track Co-Owner Norm Bailey said.

"We added the fencing a week ago. Everything else should be the same as last year," Bailey explained.

 "The season went well. We would like to thank the racers, car owners, track staff, and fans for a great 2010," Bailey continued.

All in all it was very special night of recognition for all of Miami County Speedway. I would like to thank all the drivers, their fans, all the track officials, and fans for a great 2010. I would also like to thank my friend and Miami County Speedway Track Photographer Fred Patton for always supplying Through The Gears with awesome pictures throughout the year. I will be back at Miami County Speedway reporting all the action for my race column Through The Gears. I want to thank all the readers that take time to read Through The Gears. I can't wait to return to Miami County Speedway in 2010.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Edwards Sweeps Weekend at Phoenix

Johnson, Harvick dodge bullet, inch closer to Hamlin
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

PHOENIX, AZ.- Roush-Fenway racer Carl Edwards (Pictured Left) became only the three NASCAR driver to sweep the weekend's races at Phoenix Raceway. Stewart-Haas driver and South Bend, IN. native Ryan Newman came home second, while third belonged to Joey Logano. Greg Biffle stayed around the front all day, to end the race in fourth, while Hendrick racer Jimmie Johnson limped home in fifth, after going eighty-nine laps on the final mileage run to the finish.

Richard Childress racer Kevin Harvick fought his way to a sixth place finish, after qualifying back in 29th for Sunday's race. Seventh went to Matt Kenseth, while Mark Martin took the checkers in eighth place. Penske racer Kurt Busch ended the race in nineth, while Jamie McMurray hung on to finish tenth.

NASCAR Championship points leader Denny Hamlin (Pictured Right) finished the race in 12th place after leading a big chunk of the race before Edwards took the lead with about 60 laps to go. Hamlin led a total of 118 laps to gain the ten extra points for most laps led, but made a late green flag pit stop on lap 298. After the green flag pit stop, Hamlin found himself in 19th. Hamlin clawed his way back finish 12th.

Hamlin holds a fifteen point advantage of four-time NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson (Pictured Left), heading into the final race (Ford 300) at Homestead Raceway next Sunday, November 20th. Tune into ESPN on Sunday, November 20th for the final race of the NASCAR Championship Chase this coming Sunday afternoon from Homestead Raceway.

Next up for Through The Gears coverage will be live coverage of the 2010 Miami County Speedway Awards Banquet this Saturday, November 20th. Tune into Through The Gears this coming Saturday for all the coverage from the banquet! 

NASCAR (Phoenix Raceway) Results credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2010/35/data/results_unofficial.html
NASCAR 2010 Schedule credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/
Carl Edwards Picture credited to:
http://fantasyracingcheatsheet.com/nascar-draft-kit/driver/rankings/carl-edwards/19
Denny Hamlin Picture credited to:
http://peopleatnascar.com/category/drivers

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Edwards Wins Again at Phoenix

Whitt finishes 15th in NNS debut
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

PHOENIX, AZ.- Roush-Fenway racer Carl Edwards (Pictured Left) broke free from the pack and never looked back, leading 153 laps en route to another Nationwide win at Phoenix Raceway this afternoon. Kevin Harvick drove his way through the field to earn second place honors, while third went to race polesitter Joey Logano. This year's Nationwide Champion Brad Keselowski used pit strategy early in the race to gain track position. Keselowski ended the day in fourth. Reed Sorenson raced up front for most of the day, taking home fifth.

Aric Almirola got up front early on, and slipped back to sixth. Colin Braun raced his way to seventh, while eighth went to the fast Penske ride of Justin Allgaier. Allgaier has one more race remaining for Penske Racing, before he heads to Turner Motorsports next season. Another Roush-Fenway driver Ricky Stenhouse Jr. put together a solid race to take the checkers in nineth, while Steven Wallace rounded out the top ten finishers Saturday afternooon.



Alpine, CA. native Cole Whitt (Pictured Right) qualified 23rd for his first Nationwide race at Phoenix. Whitt was impressive in his Nationwide debut for Red Bull Racing, taking the checkers in 15th place. Look for Cole Whitt to be a top contender in the NASCAR Nationwide Series very soon. Congrats once again to Cole Whitt on a great day in Phoenix.

More racing action from Phoenix Raceway can be seen tomorrow at 3:30 Eastern time, when the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits the Phoenix short track. It's the 9th race of the Chase. Check it out tomorrow on ESPN at 3:30 PM Eastern time.

Nationwide Race Results credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/nationwideseries/leaderboard/race/
Carl Edwards Picture credited to:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/389096-carl-edwards-leads-nationwide-practice-from-darlington-raceway
Cole Whitt Picture credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/2008/news/features/08/05/future.star.cwhitt/index.html

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Hamlin Takes A Wild One at Texas

Hamlin is new points leader after Texas victory
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

FORT WORTH, TX.- Joe Gibbs racer Denny Hamlin (Pictured Left) passed Roush-Fenway racer Matt Kenseth to seel up a big victory at Texas Motor Speedway earlier this afternoon. After the big win, Hamlin holds a thirty-three point advantage over Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson, and a fifty-ninety point lead over third place Childress racer Kevin Harvick.

Hamlin had a solid day, staying up front despite the downfalls of his Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch. Busch spun out then used an inappropriate hand gesture to relay how he felt to NASCAR officials. NASCAR called Busch to his pits for a two lap penalty. This penalty set Busch back for the remainder of the day.

On the seventh caution flag (Lap 192), the action turned into a free for all between title contenders Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon (Pictured Right). After Martin Truex Jr. brought out the caution flag, Burton crashed hard into the side of Gordan's DuPont Chevy. The damage was done, as far as the race cars were concerned. After the pile up, a very upset Gordan confronted Burton. The two had an altercation, which the safety officials finally got under control. Then they were both taken into the ambulence for observation. It was another frustrating day for Burton. This time he collected Gordan in the maylay.

Johnson's crew chief Chad Knaus (Pictured Left) made the careful decision to replace the 48 crew with his Hendrick teammate the 24 pit crew for the remainder of the race. Personally, I think is a stupid move. A pit crew may make a few bad pit stops, but a pit crew chief should never replace his original pit crew with another pit crew team. I think it was a bad call by Knaus that ultimately costed the 48 team, as well as Johnson the Championship points lead.

In the late stages of the race, Hamlin had too much for Johnson and Harvick to handle. Hamlin took the checkered flag, while Harvick finished the day with a solid sixth place finish. Johnson was a little off on the restarts and came home nineth. Hamlin carries the Championship lead into the nineth race of the Championship Series (Kobalt Tools 500)  next Sunday, November 14th at Phoenix Raceway.

Race Results credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2010/34/data/results_unofficial.html
Points Standing credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2010/data/standings_unofficial.html
Schedule credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/
Denny Hamlin picture credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/headlines/cup/04/19/dhamlin.wins.texas.1/index.html
Jeff Gordan picture credited to:
http://www.seattlepi.com/motorsports/3010ap_car_nascar_gordon_burton_fight.html
Chad Knaus picture credited to:
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/cup/columns/story?columnist=blount_terry&id=4375301

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Keselowski Comes Through at Texas

First NASCAR Championship for Penske, Whitt makes big debut in Phoenix
Written By: Matt "Night" Rider

FORT WORTH, TX.- It was a great day to be a Nascar fan. Carl Edwards walked away with a big win in Nationwide competition today, while his former bitter rival Brad Keselowski (Pictured Left) locked up his first Nationwide Championship with a solid third place finish. This was a big day for not only Keselowki and his family, but also for his car owner Roger Penske. The long-time Indy Car owner now has his first Nascar Championship as a car owner.

Kyle Busch held off a hard-charging Keselowski, finishing the day in second place. Busch won the Camping World Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday night. Now the Nationwide Series looks to Phoenix Raceway. A new face will be waiting for the Nationwide racers when they get to Phoenix next Saturday, November 13th.



Alpine, CA. racer Cole Whitt (Pictured Right) is set to make his debut for Red Bull Racing. Whitt is currently fourth in the K&N East Series po with an average finish of 10.2 for Red Bull Racing. Whitt has made 10 starts in the K&N East Series, with three second place finishes at South Boston Speedway, Lime Rock Speedway, and Gresham Speedway. Before racing in the K&N East Series, Whitt raced for Red Bull in for the National Sprint Car Series (USAC). He is the 2009 Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN.) Track Champion. Look for Whitt to make a big debut in his first race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series next Saturday, November 13th at Phoenix Raceway.


Results credited to:
http://nationwide.nascar.com/nationwide-series/races/2010/results-unofficial/33

Cole Whitt stats credited to:
http://www.colewhitt.com/Latest-News/2010-knpse-season-in-review.html

Pictures credited to:
http://www.cbssports.com/autoracing/story/14251703/keselowski-notches-nationwide-title-at-texas-edwards-wins-race
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://hometracks.nascar.com/files/imagecache/driver_image_big/2010_NKNPS_East_profile_2_Whitt.jpg&imgrefurl=http://hometracks.nascar.com/drivers/nknps_east/cole_whitt&usg=__sYhAQyDf0HK0ofdHrwTwXhUBOsA=&h=550&w=700&sz=56&hl=en&start=14&sig2=I9vCl3nFjG59szbM_l13tQ&zoom=1&tbnid=_c2XrAjEZq4FCM:&tbnh=130&tbnw=165&ei=deHVTIKCEtXNngfM0oS6CQ&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcole%2Bwhitt%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26biw%3D1024%26bih%3D587%26tbs%3Disch:10%2C345&um=1&itbs=1&iact=rc&dur=255&oei=buHVTIyCJZeanAfvzpSwBQ&esq=2&page=2&ndsp=13&ved=1t:429,r:3,s:14&tx=94&ty=81&biw=1024&bih=587