For the second consecutive race, Jimmie Johnson has taken the checkered flag in the 1st position. This week’s victory came for Johnson in the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He started the race in 20th position. Kevin Harvick, who currently leads the championship standings by 47 points, finished 2nd, and Jeff Gordon, who lead the most laps of the day finished in 3rd. Mark Martin and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top five.

The pole-sitter, Kurt Busch, didn’t fare so well finishing 35th, with Kevin Conway, the leading rookie in the field finishing behind him in 36th.

A variety of problems faced the drivers who didn’t finish the race including an accident involving Mike Bliss, some rear gear problems for Boris Said, overheating issues for Joe Nemechek, brake troubles for Michael McDowell, and a vibration felt by Aric Almirola, which took him back to the garage.

Results of the 2010 Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway:

Pos  #  Driver               Make      Laps  Status
 1  48  Jimmie Johnson       Chevrolet  267  Running
 2  29  Kevin Harvick        Chevrolet  267  Running
 3  24  Jeff Gordon          Chevrolet  267  Running
 4   5  Mark Martin          Chevrolet  267  Running
 5  17  Matt Kenseth         Ford       267  Running
 6  20  Joey Logano          Toyota     267  Running
 7  14  Tony Stewart         Chevrolet  267  Running
 8  33  Clint Bowyer         Chevrolet  267  Running
 9   9  Kasey Kahne          Ford       267  Running
10  16  Greg Biffle          Ford       267  Running
11  31  Jeff Burton          Chevrolet  267  Running
12  99  Carl Edwards         Ford       267  Running
13   0  David Reutimann      Toyota     267  Running
14  47  Marcos Ambrose       Toyota     267  Running
15  18  Kyle Busch           Toyota     267  Running
16  88  Dale Earnhardt Jr.   Chevrolet  267  Running
17  98  Paul Menard          Ford       267  Running
18  39  Ryan Newman          Chevrolet  267  Running
19  11  Denny Hamlin         Toyota     267  Running
20  56  Martin Truex Jr.     Toyota     267  Running
21  78  Regan Smith          Chevrolet  267  Running
22  82  Scott Speed          Toyota     266  Running
23   6  David Ragan          Ford       266  Running
24  34  Travis Kvapil        Ford       265  Running
25  43  A.J. Allmendinger    Ford       265  Running
26  12  Brad Keselowski      Dodge      265  Running
27  19  Elliott Sadler       Ford       265  Running
28  77  Sam Hornish Jr.      Dodge      264  Running
29  66  Dave Blaney          Toyota     264  Running
30  38  David Gilliland      Ford       263  Running
31  83  Brian Vickers        Toyota     262  Running
32   7  Robby Gordon         Toyota     262  Running
33  13  Max Papis            Toyota     262  Running
34   1  Jamie McMurray       Chevrolet  260  Running
35   2  Kurt Busch           Dodge      259  Running
36  37  Kevin Conway (R)     Ford       256  Running
37  42  Juan Montoya         Chevrolet  247  Running
38  71  Bobby Labonte        Chevrolet  216  Running
39  36  Mike Bliss           Chevrolet  135  Accident
40  26  Boris Said           Ford       134  Rear Gear
41  87  Joe Nemechek         Toyota      65  Overheating
42  55  Michael McDowell     Toyota      40  Brakes
43   9  Aric Almirola        Chevrolet   23  Vibration

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be the Kobalt Tools 500 held at Atlanta Motor Speedway on March 7, 2010.

Related Links:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Series Information, Schedule, Standings, Past Champions, News, Videos

Jimmie Johnson has won this week’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana. His #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet started the race from the 7th position, but lead the most laps of the day. Behind him at the line was poll-sitter Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, and Joey Logano. The highest finishing rookie was Kevin Conway who finished 31st.

This weekend’s major story was the engine troubles that plagued many of the teams including Ryan Newman, Juan Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Dave Blaney, Michael McDowell, and Aric Almirola. Robby Gordon and Marcos Ambrose were also unable to finish the race after suffering from overheating issues, as were Boris Said and Joe Nemechek who had rear gear troubles.

Results of the 2010 Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway:

Pos  #  Driver               Make      Laps  Status
 1  48  Jimmie Johnson       Chevrolet  250  Running
 2  29  Kevin Harvick        Chevrolet  250  Running
 3  31  Jeff Burton          Chevrolet  250  Running
 4   5  Mark Martin          Chevrolet  250  Running
 5  20  Joey Logano          Toyota     250  Running
 6   2  Kurt Busch           Dodge      250  Running
 7  17  Matt Kenseth         Ford       250  Running
 8  33  Clint Bowyer         Chevrolet  250  Running
 9  14  Tony Stewart         Chevrolet  250  Running
10  16  Greg Biffle          Ford       250  Running
11  82  Scott Speed          Toyota     250  Running
12  83  Brian Vickers        Toyota     250  Running
13  99  Carl Edwards         Ford       250  Running
14  18  Kyle Busch           Toyota     250  Running
15   0  David Reutimann      Toyota     250  Running
16  77  Sam Hornish Jr.      Dodge      250  Running
17   1  Jamie McMurray       Chevrolet  250  Running
18  98  Paul Menard          Ford       250  Running
19  78  Regan Smith          Chevrolet  250  Running
20  24  Jeff Gordon          Chevrolet  250  Running
21  12  Brad Keselowski      Dodge      250  Running
22  36  Mike Bliss           Chevrolet  250  Running
23   6  David Ragan          Ford       250  Running
24  19  Elliott Sadler       Ford       249  Running
25  43  A.J. Allmendinger    Ford       249  Running
26  38  David Gilliland      Ford       249  Running
27  71  Bobby Labonte        Chevrolet  249  Running
28  13  Max Papis            Toyota     249  Running
29  11  Denny Hamlin         Toyota     248  Running
30  34  Travis Kvapil        Ford       248  Running
31  37  Kevin Conway (R)     Ford       247  Running
32  88  Dale Earnhardt Jr.   Chevrolet  238  Running
33   7  Robby Gordon         Toyota     230  Overheating
34   9  Kasey Kahne          Ford       221  Running
35  47  Marcos Ambrose       Toyota     170  Overheating
36  39  Ryan Newman          Chevrolet  148  Engine
37  42  Juan Montoya         Chevrolet  140  Engine
38  26  Boris Said           Ford        67  Rear Gear
39  56  Martin Truex Jr.     Toyota      64  Engine
40  87  Joe Nemechek         Toyota      48  Rear Gear
41  66  Dave Blaney          Toyota      43  Engine
42  55  Michael McDowell     Toyota      40  Engine
43   9  Aric Almirola        Chevrolet   34  Engine

This landed Kevin Harvick in the current lead of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship – four places up from last week. He leads Clint Bowyer by 19 points. Jamie McMurray, the previous leader fell to 4th in the points standings.

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be the Shelby American held at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on February 28, 2010.

Related Links:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Series Information, Schedule, Standings, Past Champions, News, Videos

Earlier today was the season opener of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway.

Jamie McMurray came out on top in his #1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet. Along with the win, he also received the Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race and Sunoco Diamond Performance awards. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer, and David Reutimann rounded out the top five finishing positions. Kevin Harvick, who led the most laps, finished in 7th. Mark Martin, who started the race from the pole position, finished in 12th.

Not so lucky were Kasey Kahne, Robert Richardson Jr., Ryan Newman, John Andretti, Mike Bliss, and Joe Nemechek who were unable to finish the race after being involved in various accidents during the race. Marcos Ambrose and Max Papis were also forced to retire from the race early on due to engine troubles, with Michael McDowell and Jimmie Johnson also unable to complete the race after Drive Shaft and Rear Axle problems respectively.

Results of the 2010 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway:

Pos  #  Driver                 Make      Laps  Status
 1   1  Jamie McMurray         Chevrolet  208  Running
 2  88  Dale Earnhardt Jr.     Chevrolet  208  Running
 3  16  Greg Biffle            Ford       208  Running
 4  33  Clint Bowyer           Chevrolet  208  Running
 5   0  David Reutimann        Toyota     208  Running
 6  56  Martin Truex Jr.       Toyota     208  Running
 7  29  Kevin Harvick          Chevrolet  208  Running
 8  17  Matt Kenseth           Ford       208  Running
 9  99  Carl Edwards           Ford       208  Running
10  42  Juan Montoya           Chevrolet  208  Running
11  31  Jeff Burton            Chevrolet  208  Running
12   5  Mark Martin            Chevrolet  208  Running
13  98  Paul Menard            Ford       208  Running
14  18  Kyle Busch             Toyota     208  Running
15  83  Brian Vickers          Toyota     208  Running
16   6  David Ragan            Ford       208  Running
17  11  Denny Hamlin           Toyota     208  Running
18 151  Michael Waltrip        Toyota     208  Running
19  82  Scott Speed            Toyota     208  Running
20  20  Joey Logano            Toyota     208  Running
21  71  Bobby Labonte          Chevrolet  208  Running
22  14  Tony Stewart           Chevrolet  208  Running
23   2  Kurt Busch             Dodge      208  Running
24  19  Elliott Sadler         Ford       208  Running
25  26  Boris Said             Ford       208  Running
26  24  Jeff Gordon            Chevrolet  208  Running
27  21  Bill Elliott           Ford       208  Running
28   7  Robby Gordon           Toyota     207  Running
29  37  Travis Kvapil          Ford       205  Running
30   9  Kasey Kahne            Ford       202  Accident
31  38  Robert Richardson Jr.  Ford       202  Accident
32  43  A.J. Allmendinger      Ford       198  Running
33  55  Michael McDowell       Toyota     195  Drive Shaft
34  39  Ryan Newman            Chevrolet  193  Accident
35  48  Jimmie Johnson         Chevrolet  185  Rear Axle
36  12  Brad Keselowski        Dodge      174  Running
37  77  Sam Hornish Jr.        Dodge      160  Running
38  34  John Andretti          Ford       117  Accident
39  78  Regan Smith            Chevrolet   90  Running
40  13  Max Papis              Toyota      89  Engine
41  47  Marcos Ambrose         Toyota      79  Engine
42  36  Mike Bliss             Chevrolet   76  Accident
43  87  Joe Nemechek           Toyota      64  Accident

The next race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will be the Auto Club 500 held at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana on February 21, 2010.

Related Links:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Series Information, Schedule, Standings, Past Champions, News, Videos

Earlier today the Gatorade Duels were held at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona, Florida. Each duel included 27 drivers competing in a 60 lap race.

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, took the victory for the first Gatorade Duel. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, and Regan Smith rounded out the top five.

Michael Waltrip and Jeff Burton weren’t so lucky as neither was able to finish the event, with both drivers involved in accidents during the course of the race. Newcomer, Jeff Fuller, only managed to complete four laps before the engine on his #197 Toyota failed.

The second Gatorade Duel was won by Kasey Kahne – the driver of the #9 Budweiser Ford. Behind him finished Tony Stewart, Juan Montoya, Kurt Busch, and Elliott Sadler for the top five positions. Boris Said was the only competitor that wasn’t able to finish the race, having electrical problems on the third lap.

Results of the 2010 Gatorade Duel #1 at Daytona International Raceway:

Pos  #  Driver                 Make     Laps  Status
 1  48  Jimmie Johnson         Chevrolet  60  Running
 2  29  Kevin Harvick          Chevrolet  60  Running
 3  18  Kyle Busch             Toyota     60  Running
 4  33  Clint Bowyer           Chevrolet  60  Running
 5  78  Regan Smith            Chevrolet  60  Running
 6   1  Jamie McMurray         Chevrolet  60  Running
 7  43  A.J. Allmendinger      Ford       60  Running
 8  39  Ryan Newman            Chevrolet  60  Running
 9   6  David Ragan            Ford       60  Running
10  24  Jeff Gordon            Chevrolet  60  Running
11  16  Greg Biffle            Ford       60  Running
12  11  Denny Hamlin           Toyota     60  Running
13  99  Carl Edwards           Ford       60  Running
14  55  Michael McDowell       Toyota     60  Running
15  13  Max Papis              Toyota     60  Running
16  34  John Andretti          Ford       60  Running
17 127  Todd Bodine            Toyota     60  Running
18  87  Joe Nemechek           Toyota     60  Running
19  37  Travis Kvapil          Ford       60  Running
20  46  Terry Cook (R)         Dodge      60  Running
21   5  Mark Martin            Chevrolet  60  Running
22  21  Bill Elliott           Ford       60  Running
23  38  Robert Richardson Jr.  Ford       60  Running
24 132  Reed Sorenson          Toyota     60  Running
25 151  Michael Waltrip        Toyota     52  Accident
26  31  Jeff Burton            Chevrolet  24  Accident
27 197  Jeff Fuller            Toyota      4  Engine

Results of the 2010 Gatorade Duel #2 at Daytona International Raceway:

Pos  #  Driver              Make     Laps  Status
 1   9  Kasey Kahne         Ford       60  Running
 2  14  Tony Stewart        Chevrolet  60  Running
 3  42  Juan Montoya        Chevrolet  60  Running
 4   2  Kurt Busch          Dodge      60  Running
 5  19  Elliott Sadler      Ford       60  Running
 6  56  Martin Truex Jr.    Toyota     60  Running
 7  20  Joey Logano         Toyota     60  Running
 8  47  Marcos Ambrose      Toyota     60  Running
 9   0  David Reutimann     Toyota     60  Running
10  83  Brian Vickers       Toyota     60  Running
11  17  Matt Kenseth        Ford       60  Running
12  12  Brad Keselowski     Dodge      60  Running
13  36  Mike Bliss          Chevrolet  60  Running
14  82  Scott Speed         Toyota     60  Running
15  98  Paul Menard         Ford       60  Running
16 190  Casey Mears         Chevrolet  60  Running
17  71  Bobby Labonte       Chevrolet  60  Running
18  49  David Gilliland     Toyota     60  Running
19   7  Robby Gordon        Toyota     60  Running
20 175  Derrike Cope        Dodge      60  Running
21  88  Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Chevrolet  60  Running
22   9  Aric Almirola       Chevrolet  60  Running
23  66  Dave Blaney         Toyota     60  Running
24 192  Mike Wallace        Dodge      60  Running
25 157  Norm Benning        Chevrolet  60  Running
26  77  Sam Hornish Jr.     Dodge      58  Running
27  26  Boris Said          Ford        3  Electrical

These events are not scored for points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship.

The next event on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 14, 2010.

Related Links:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Series Information, Schedule, Standings, Past Champions, News, Videos

For a second consecutive year, Kevin Harvick has won the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Speedway. Harvick, who had been suffering from flu like symptoms earlier in the week, seemed unaffected during the race, maintaining his place near the front of the field for the majority of the race.

After a late-race caution led the field to a green-white-checkered restart, Harvick, who restarted fourth, charged to the front, pulling up alongside Greg Biffle. Shortly after, Jeff Gordon drove into the back of Biffle’s car, who spun into several of the oncoming vehicles, once again bringing out the caution flag and freezing the field in place. As per NASCAR rules, the race was not restarted.

Harvick is the fourth driver to celebrate back-to-back Shootout victories. Other drivers that have accomplished this feat include Tony Stewart (2001, 2002), Ken Schrader (1989, 1990), and Neil Bonnett (1983, 1984).

Results of the 2010 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona International Raceway:

Pos  #  Driver              Make     Laps  Status
 1  29  Kevin Harvick       Chevrolet  76  Running
 2   9  Kasey Kahne         Ford       76  Running
 3   1  Jamie McMurray      Chevrolet  76  Running
 4  18  Kyle Busch          Toyota     76  Running
 5  11  Denny Hamlin        Toyota     76  Running
 6  83  Brian Vickers       Toyota     76  Running
 7  20  Joey Logano         Toyota     76  Running
 8  24  Jeff Gordon         Chevrolet  76  Running
 9  14  Tony Stewart        Chevrolet  76  Running
10  42  Juan Montoya        Chevrolet  76  Running
11  88  Dale Earnhardt Jr.  Chevrolet  76  Running
12  31  Jeff Burton         Chevrolet  76  Running
13  48  Jimmie Johnson      Chevrolet  76  Running
14  82  Ken Schrader        Toyota     76  Running
15  16  Greg Biffle         Ford       74  In Pit
16  17  Matt Kenseth        Ford       74  In Pit
17  99  Carl Edwards        Ford       74  In Pit
18  71  Bobby Labonte       Chevrolet  74  In Pit
19  39  Ryan Newman         Chevrolet  74  In Pit
20   5  Mark Martin         Chevrolet  74  In Pit
21  51  Michael Waltrip     Toyota     69  In Pit
22  34  John Andretti       Ford       69  In Pit
23   2  Kurt Busch          Dodge      32  Running
24  75  Derrike Cope        Dodge      15  Out of Race

The next NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race is the Daytona 500, also to be raced at Daytona International Speedway on Sunday, February 14, 2010. Preceding this race are the two qualifying races (The Gatorade Duels) held the Thursday before.

Related Links:
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Series Information, Schedule, Standings, Past Champions, News, Videos