Joey Logano Leads Every Lap at Bristol

By @GucciardoJoey

(Photo CREDIT: Mike Ehrmann: Getty Images)

Bristol, Tenn.--- Joey Logano just completely dominated the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol today. This was his second victory of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season.

"I've never led every single lap in a race before. What a fast Discount Tire Ford. Gosh, this is fun. This is amazing. You're just waiting for something to go wrong. It's such a fast car. All those late cautions and all that stuff, you're just like 'Where am I just going to blow this thing?' Those are the ones you're just worried all race. What a fast car, perfect day." Logan said in Victory Lane.

Daniel Suarez, making his NASCAR XFINTY Series debut, finished second.

"This is great. Thank you guys, thank you very much. Thank you." Suarez said over his in-car radio after the race.

Chris Buescher finished 3rd, followed by pole-sitter Erik Jones in 4th, and Ty Dillon to round out the Top-5.

Chase Elliott finished 6th, followed by Kevin Harvick, Brian Scott, Brendan Gaughan, and Elliott Sadler to round out the Top-10.

Harvick would have had a better finishing position if he hadn't had a late pit-road speeding penalty on lap 174, sending him near the end of the field. He would finish 7th.

(Photo CREDIT: Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

There were 48 caution laps in today's race. The first caution was for Eric McClure when he spun on Lap 2.

There was one red-flag for J.J. Yelled who hit the outside wall in Turn 3. The front splitter of the car became lodged in the SAFER Barrier.

Congrats to Joey Logano on leading every lap in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300!

Kyle Busch: INJURY UPDATE

(Photo CREDIT: Brian Lawdermilk/Getty Images North America)

By @GucciardoJoey

Kyle Busch invited the media for a press conference. He has not been racing in any NASCAR events due to an injury suffered during the NASCAR XFINITY Series opener at Daytona International Speedway.

He had a compound fracture in his right leg, and a second compound fracture in his lower left foot.

Busch said that when he hit a wall with a force of 90 g, he said that "all the air left his body."

Busch also gave credit to the drivers that are replacing him in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

"I can't say enough for Matt Crafton and David Ragan to be able to step up in this situation."

He also gave an opinion of his Chase eligibility.

"Do I wish to be chase-eligible when I return? Of course, I would love to be." Busch then went on to say that he is unsure if he would be in the Top-30 in points, because one of the requirements for making the Chase is that you must be in the Top-30 in points. "I don't know if it's going to be 100 percent feasible. He then went on to say that he hopes that NASCAR takes into consideration that his team is a full-time team, and hopefully they would waive off the rule of he were to win a race.

Busch said that Tony Stewart was his first visitor in the hospital after the DAYTONA 500, and Stewart stayed there for nearly three hours.

Busch said that "I knew instantly my right leg broke" when he hit the wall.

Matt Crafton replaced Busch in the No. 18 car during the DAYTONA 50, which led to some substitute drivers in Ragan's No. 34 car at Front Row Motorsports.

Busch said that he "can't say I'm happy" that he hit a wall without a SAFER Barrier.

NASCAR had put a tire barrier where the crash occurred before the DAYTONA 500 the next day.

We wish Kyle Busch a speedy recovery, and best wishes to the entire Busch family.

Johnson wins the Duck Commander 500 at Texas

By @GucciardoJoey

Jimmie Johnson in victory lane at Texas Motor Speedway
(Photo CREDIT: Sarah Glenn/Getty Images)

I think +Jimmie Johnson is back in the game.

He won his first race of the Spring of 2015 last night at Texas Motor Speedway.

"The end of the race was nutty," said Johnson, who said he woke up sick Saturday morning and addressed the media post-race through a scratchy voice. "Those last three pit stops with the varied tire strategies, our car wasn't handling like it did when we were leading. The third one (on Lap 310), our car was really, really good and I was able to work our way forward. The No. 4 was having trouble with the No. 1 (of McMurray) and slid up…and I thought I had it under control. Just a lot of great racing; the (worn-out) surface of this racetrack allows that to happen." according to NASCAR.com.

Johnson scored his fifth win at Texas in last night's race, and his third in the last six starts there.

Johnson bumped himself up to 8th place on the all-time Sprint Cup Series wins list.

All-time premier series wins (according to NASCAR.com)

Rank	Driver	Wins
1.	Richard Petty	200
2.	David Pearson	105
3.	Jeff Gordon	92
4t.	Bobby Allison	84
4t.	Darrell Waltrip	84
6.	Cale Yarborough	83
7.	Dale Earnhardt	76
8.	Jimmie Johnson	72
9.	Rusty Wallace	55
10.	Lee Petty	54

Johnson, the six-time champion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, had to beat Kevin Harvick, who is the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion, who finished 2nd. Johnson's Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt JR. finished 3rd, followed by Joey Logano, and then Logano's Penske Racing teammate, and 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski to round out the top 5.

Johnson led 128 laps in this race. Kevin Harvick led nine different times to lead 96 laps.

"Johnson led on nine occasions for a race-high 128 laps to become the third driver to record wins in the spring and fall races at Texas, joining Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards, both of Joe Gibbs Racing." according to NASCAR.com.

Congratulations to Jimmie Johnson on your victory at Texas Motor Speedway!

Erik Jones wins the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.

By @GucciardoJoey

Getty Images.

I think the NASCAR world is starting to believe that Erik Jones is ready for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

He won his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race last night at Texas Motor Speedway.

Jones, who is 18 years of age, had to hold off Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt JR. for the win the O'Reilly Auto Parts 300.

Jones' Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin finished in 7th, and his other JGR teammate, Daniel Suarez, finished in 18th.

Joe Gibbs, owner of JGR and former Washington Redskins coach, said "As you know, we don't push our drivers until they're ready, but Erik will be in a cup car kind of quick."

Jones also had tweeted back and forth between JR. and Keselowski, as they congratulated Jones on his win.

Jones started on the pole (1st place), and that's exactly where he finished.

Regan Smith finished 4th, followed by Austin Dillon, Darrell Wallace JR., Denny Hamlin, Chase Elliott, Chris Buescher, and Brian Scott.

Chase Elliott To NOT Drive No. 24 in 2016 due to performance at Martinsville.

By @GucciardoJoey

Chase Elliott struggling during his 
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut this past 
weekend at Martinsville Speedway.
(Photo CREDIT: NASCAR.com)

Well, this was unexpected.

Rick Hendrick, Dale Earnhardt JR., and Chase Elliott held a press conference at the Hendrick Motorsports team shop in Charlotte, North Carolina where they delivered some news that shocked the NASCAR nation.

Chase Elliott, who was supposed to drive the No. 24 car starting in 2016 as a fill-in for Jeff Gordon, who will be retiring at the end of this season, will no longer be driving the car.

“It's not his finishing position, it's the fact that he had such a hard time keeping up with his competitors,” said Hendrick Motorsports team owner Rick Hendrick, “I personally don't think that he is ready for this responsibility, and the fact that it is the 24 that he's going to start driving, that's going to just put a lot of unneccessary attention on the kid. He's got talent, but I don't think he's ready for the Sprint Cup Series.”

Chase Elliott then spoke out and said this, “Obviously, i'm a little upset, but I think Rick Hendrick only wants what's best for his team, and if he doesn't think that I'm ready, then so be it. That just motivates me to try harder and harder. Me and my XFINITY Series team are gonna continue to go for our second XFINITY Series championship this year.”

It's actually pretty funny, how Elliott kept saying Nationwide instead of XFINITY, having to correct himself every time he said “Nationwide.”

“I'm sorry, I'm still getting used to the series' name change. It's harder if you actually a driver or a team member, because you say it so many time in a day that you forget that the name has changed.”

Dale Earnhardt JR. sounded pretty optimistic though.

“I had the talk with Elliott, about him not driving the 24, and he was upset, but he understood that Rick didn't think that he was ready, and he really impressed me with his ability to cope with this and his ability to shake it all off and keep his mind on the XFINITY Series season.

Elliott has NOT been withdrawn from the other NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races he was supposed to race in this season.

Rick Hendrick said that he has found another “replacement driver” for the No. 24 car starting in 2016. The driver, drumroll please, is GOTCHA REALGOOD, because if you fell for this, I have one thing to say to you, “APRIL FOOLS!”

Have a happy April Fools Day!

Denny Hamlin wins the STP 500

By @GucciardoJoey

Denny Hamlin celebrates in victory lane after winning the STP 500
at Martinsville Speedway.
(Steve Helber/AP)

Denny Hamlin had to hold off a charging Brad Keselowski for his first win of the season, and fifth win at Martinsville Speedway.

Hamlin started 15th, and worked his way to the front for the win.

Hamlin had this to say: "We just weren't going to be denied today," Hamlin said. "Hats off to Brad; he had an option there at the end and he took the latter. I thank him for that." -SB Nation

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite ford of Penske Racing said, "I did everything I could but wreck him."

Joey Logano finished third after starting from first place, followed by Hamlin's teammate Matt Kenseth, and David Ragan to round out the Top-5.

Danica Patrick finished 7th. Her best finish in a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is 6th.

Hendrick Motorsports had a bad day.

Dale Earnhardt JR. finished 36th. Chase Elliott, who was making his Sprint Cup Series debut, finished 38th.

Jimmie Johnson, who was plagued by bad restarts and long pit-stops, finished 35th.

Jeff Gordon almost won the race, but had a late pit-road speeding penalty. He finished 9th.

Kasey Kahne finished 11th.

Gordon had this to say: "Oh my gosh, I'm so disappointed in myself. I know I was pushing the limit. I didn't think I had done anything different than I had all day long. I'm very, very disappointed. I felt like we finally got the car, got ourselves in a position to win that race." 

-SB Nation

Kevin Harvick finished 8th. He had a streak in the last four races of finishing either first, or second in a Sprint Cup Series race.

Joey Logano wins Kroger 250

By @GucciardoJoey

Joey Logano wins the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
PHOTO: http://joeylogano.com/joey-logano-
wins-at-martinsville-speedway/

Boy, what a race.

Joey Logano started on the pole (1st place), and that's where he finished after passing Matt Crafton on a late restart to win the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

The race ended under a Green-White-Checkered. Cole Custer, who won a truck series race last season at the young age of 16, who was driving the No. 00 for JR. Motorsports as they made their debut today, spun out after making contact in Matt Crafton in the No. 88 truck of ThorSport Motorsports.

"It's special because now I can say I've won in all three series" said Logano to FOX Sports.

Logano has now won in the NASCAR Sprint Cup, XFINITY, and Camping World Truck Series.

Logano also qualified on the pole for tomorrow's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race, the STP 500.

Custer, now 17, made a huge pass on Crafton and Logano with five laps to go. But the contact with Crafton would end his day. But Crafton wouldn't be affected so much, because he would start first on the Green-White-Checkered attempt, but finished second to Logano.

Grafton would maintain his points lead with his second place finish.

Erik Jones finished 3rd, followed by Johnny Sauter, Tyler Reddick, and Daniel Suarez. James Buescher, John Wes Townley, Matt Tiff, and Justin Boston would round out the Top-10.

Finish Under Green? Penalization?

By @GucciardoJoey

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Greg Biffle after wrecking on the last lap of the 2015
Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California.
(PHOTO Credits: Jonathan Moore/NASCAR)

Yesterday, Greg Biffle spun out on a second attempt at a Green-White-Checkered finish at Auto Club Speedway during the Auto Club 400. Just as the leaders took the white flag, Biffle spun out from the rear of the field. The race continued as Biffle drove away.

According to a NASCAR.com Staff Report, "the spotters' checked for debris turned up nothing."

Brad Keselowski would pass the two front-runners, Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch for the win.

The NASCAR.com Staff Report had this quote from NASCAR Executive Vice President and Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell, and boy, did he have a lot to say.

"I think when you look at the end of the race, we will always try to finish the race under green-flag conditions, but we're always going to err on the side of safety," O'Donnell said Monday during NASCAR officials' weekly debrief with NASCAR.com. "So if you want to look back at Daytona, we made the decision based on the hit that we saw Kyle Larson take, based on our need to dispatch the safety equipment as quickly as possible. We made that decision to go ahead and display the yellow."

"If you fast-forward to what happened yesterday in California, when we looked at it in terms of Greg Biffle was able to drive away, the cars were still in Turn 2, we had eyes immediately on the ground in terms of our flagstand personnel to be able to see if there was any debris on the track. There wasn't, so we were able to let the cars come back and race under green-flag conditions to the checkered flag. So if we can do that, we will, but under no circumstances would we compromise safety in terms of a driver to be able to do that."

~NASCAR.com Staff Report

Biffle was able to drive away as the other cars entered Turn 2. There was no debris on the track, so NASCAR must have figured that they should let the cars race.

O'Donnel clearly is stating that NASCAR does not want to endanger its drivers in ANY way. But he also seems to state that Biffle seemed to put himself in a situation where he had ESCAPED any danger, so everything seemed fine to let the cars finish.

Some of our Facebook fans reminded us about the 2015 DAYTONA 500, how this is sort of the opposite of that event.

Two cars spun on the backstretch during a Green-White-Checkered finish, one of them being Jeff Gordon. The two cars had spun into the infield of the backstretch, where they had escaped harm, but NASCAR still threw the caution and ended the race there, where Joey Logano was the winner.

Brad Keselowski in victory lane after winning the
2015 Auto Club 400.
(PHOTO Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Also, O'Donnell mentioned Denny Hamlin's late pit road penalty for the loose tire on pit road that gave Hamlin a 28th Place finish.

Again, this is from the NASCAR.com Staff Report.

"Again, we'll go back to video replay. That's why the system was put in place," O'Donnell said. "I think Dave questioned whether we would err on the side of the competitors and referenced what we said at the beginning of the year. We did say that, and we still hold to that, that we will err on the side of the competitors if we can't make a distinctive call, but under the review process … it was clear to us that there was a violation and in that case, we're going to make the call. With this system, it is precise. It's black and white in terms of whether or not we can make a call, very similar to pit-road speeding penalties.
 
"The drivers had asked for that to be more transparent, and under this new system, we're going to be more transparent as well. The good news is we can share that with the race teams, not only during the race, but after the race as well, and walk them through why the call was made and show them as well."

~NASCAR.com Staff Report

What is your take on this hectic controversy?

Should Hamlin have been penalized? Should the yellow flag have been thrown, or did NASCAR make the right call by letting the cars race back to the line?

Please comment what you think.

Let Them Race? NASCAR and the Fontana Finish Controversy

By @GucciardoJoey

Follow us on Twitter!

Brad Keselowski doing a victory burnout after winning yesterday's
Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.
(Photo Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images)

Well, I'm sure you saw it and said "What is going on here?"

On the last lap of the Auto Club 400 yesterday, Brad Keselowski beat Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch to the checkered flag. Keselowski managed to get passed both of them on the second Green-White-Checkered attempt.

He kept Kevin Harvick from winnning all three races of the 2014 NASCAR West Coast Swing.

But, here's the controversy.

Greg Biffle spins out in the tri-oval, and his car is lying in the middle of the track.

Now, NASCAR let the drivers race because Biffle managed to get his car off the track. But the question is, should NASCAR have ended the race?

Auto Club Speedway's tribute to Jeff Gordon that they put on the
pit road wall.
(Photo Credit: Brendan Littell: UNB! Network)

You are allowed three attempts at a Green-White-Checkered attempt. If the yellow flag is waved BEFORE the white flag is waived, you will have another attemp, UNLESS, it it the third attempt. In THAT case, the race ends whether the cars crossed the Start/Finish line or not. NASCAR will look at scoring loops on the track to determine the final results.

But this caution involving Biffle was right when the white flag was being waived.

Should NASCAR have thrown the yellow flag, or should they have let them race back to the Start/Finish Line?

Well, they let them race back to the line.

I was scared, and I'll tell you why. I didn't know that Biffle had moved his car off the track, because I was not at the race, I was watching FOX's NASCAR On Fox television broadcast of this race. Had I known that Biffle had gotten his car off the track, I would have said, let them race.

But I didn't know that Biffle had done that, which made me shout "END THE RACE! END THE RACE!"

But, the race ended without Biffle getting slammed into. He was facing the wrong way on the track.

Noticed how I said ON THE TRACK, but I said that he drove the car off the track.

Well, he was half in the infield, and half on the TRACK, so he wasn't 100% off the track.

So should NASCAR have let the drivers race?

But, back to the race in general.

Brad Keselowski did not even know where victory lane was at this track.

"I know [Kevin Harvick] and [Kurt Busch] had been the class of the weekend and deserved to win on speed. Maybe we kind of stole one today." Keselowski said, according to ESPN.

Dale Earnhardt JR. and Jimmie Johnson had been trying to gain some ground on the three cars of Keselowski, Harvick, and Kurt Busch, but JR. wound up finishing 6th, and Johnson wound up finishing in 9th.

Danica Patrick finished 19th, her highest finish of this season so far.

Harvick would finish 2nd, and Kurt Busch would finish third after rolling off pit road before the first drop of the green flag on the pole position (1st place).

He had not won since March of 2014 where he beat Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag.

Harvick, on the last pit stop of the race, took two tires and drove off. His crew was going to the others side of the car to change the OTHER two tires, but Harvick just drove off to hopefully exit pit road in first place.

Congratulations to Brad Keselowski on winning the 2015 Auto Club 400!