Well if we weren't feeling bad enough from Phoenix, Las Vegas has proven that the desert heat is too tough to beat. All humans had stellar cars and proved they could run with the pack. But by the end, the highest finish would be a 17th.

Qualifying placed me and Darrel at 1 and 2 respectively. Start was clean and he was able to get a jump to lead a lap, taking Busch with him for the first turn.

We were doing well pulling away from the pack and settling in until Sandy got a shove from Ambrose, who was running well up the track.

Not much damage done yet, so we got refiled and started back to racing. Too early for pits.

We went about 7 or 8 laps when Chad got loose off 4 and caused him to spin at the line.

The next caution came out when Darrel got a little friendly with Tony Stewart, knocking him off the turn four wall.

Although he avoided a wreck there, his major trouble would come from a heavily botched pit. Missing his stall and being way out of the position was bad. What made it worse was when his crew started repairing damage he didn't know he'd gotten from brushing the wall a few laps back.

He was down but not out and would earn back his lap via lucky dog. We returned to green and I got jumped by the field. Kesolowski didn't think I needed any of the track I was running and proceeded to come down in my lane, barely upsetting my car enough to make it spin.

Halfway through and we take the green again. But problems immediately as Sandy spins his tires and causes Darrel to take evasive maneuvers. Everything would have been fine if not for Carl Edwards deciding to brusquely brush by Darrel, knocking him into Jamie McMurray and oblivion.

Now, at this point, Sandy hadn't actually been caught up in the incident. No, he saved his destructive contributions for the backstretch. Those AI didn't have a clue what hit them until he barreled in on them at about 150+.

This bowling party put the other teammate out of contention giving them both finishes at the end of the field. We returned to racing and it wouldn't be more than a few laps until Mr. Busch took a sudden turn down in front of Nemechek on the front stretch.

Chad and I both only just avoided running up on wrecked and slowing cars from this one. Chad would not have the same luck on the next incident. As a few of the back markers decide to pinch three-wide going into one, they just wreck themselves.

Chad missed the first mass but it put him way out of position on the apron and there was hardly anything he could do to keep from blasting the McD's car.

Although a top 30 could be worse, Chad definitely had a car to get him better position. By the end of the race, I held in for the top 20 but couldn't do much more thanks to damage suffered from several altercations. And considering Bristol is our next stop, I don't see things getting much better for us. Last time we were here in Nationwide, we were only just in the top twenty plus with DNFs back past 30th. But we had good times at 98%. The last cup race wasn't much better. Both times, there were probably more penalties in one race than the entire season. I'll do what I can but we'll need to be careful and aware as possible out there to keep things simple. As much as possible anyway...

Results

Session: Practice

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	013	T Nadz	29.169
2	061	D Hamilton	29.387
3	021	T Bear	29.662
4	055	C Ferguson	29.791
5	24	J Gordon	30.136
6	22	J Logano	30.179
7	31	R Newman	30.186
8	41	K Busch2	30.186
9	99	C Edwards	30.192
10	5	K Kahne	30.204
11	1	J McMurray	30.233
12	20	M Kenseth	30.234
13	18	K Busch	30.244
14	4	K Harvick	30.251
15	88	D Earnhardt Jr	30.253
16	14	T Stewart	30.272
17	15	C Bowyer	30.318
18	2	B Keselowski	30.325
19	16	G Biffle	30.356
20	48	J Johnson	30.358
21	56	M Truex Jr.	30.361
22	11	D Hamlin	30.384
23	38	D Gilliland	30.427
24	27	P Menard	30.440
25	43	A Almirola	30.443
26	34	D Ragan	30.469
27	47	A Allmendinger	30.543
28	9	M Ambrose	30.582
29	93	T Kvapil	30.589
30	13	C Mears	30.591
31	87	J Nemechek	30.677
32	83	D Reutimann	30.678
33	55	B Vickers	30.684
34	30	D Stremme	30.690
35	36	J Yeley	30.709
36	21	T Bayne	30.714
37	7	M Annett	30.732
38	17	R Stenhouse Jr	30.778
39	26	M Waltrip	30.856
40	95	M McDowell	30.865
41	32	K Schrader	30.998
42	10	D Patrick	31.023

Weather: Clear, 73 °F, Northwest 4 mph

Session: Qualifying

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	013	T Nadz	29.099
2	061	D Hamilton	29.398
3	18	K Busch	29.685
4	24	J Gordon	29.689
5	99	C Edwards	29.693
6	4	K Harvick	29.727
7	16	G Biffle	29.744
8	20	M Kenseth	29.767
9	48	J Johnson	29.803
10	15	C Bowyer	29.819
11	41	K Busch2	29.836
12	2	B Keselowski	29.852
13	14	T Stewart	29.865
14	11	D Hamlin	29.876
15	055	C Ferguson	29.902
16	22	J Logano	29.908
17	021	T Bear	29.908
18	88	D Earnhardt Jr	29.914
19	1	J McMurray	29.952
20	56	M Truex Jr.	29.975
21	31	R Newman	29.995
22	5	K Kahne	30.024
23	47	A Allmendinger	30.048
24	27	P Menard	30.073
25	34	D Ragan	30.086
26	9	M Ambrose	30.160
27	13	C Mears	30.245
28	38	D Gilliland	30.260
29	83	D Reutimann	30.286
30	95	M McDowell	30.397
31	43	A Almirola	30.430
32	93	T Kvapil	30.541
33	55	B Vickers	30.568
34	17	R Stenhouse Jr	30.589
35	30	D Stremme	30.632
36	7	M Annett	30.653
37	87	J Nemechek	30.673
38	26	M Waltrip	30.673
39	36	J Yeley	30.691
40	10	D Patrick	30.761
41	21	T Bayne	30.771
42	32	K Schrader	31.084

Weather: Clear, 73 °F, North 6 mph

Session: Happy Hour

P	#	DRIVER	TIME
1	013	T Nadz	28.807
2	061	D Hamilton	29.112
3	055	C Ferguson	29.636
4	021	T Bear	29.753
5	24	J Gordon	29.805
6	20	M Kenseth	29.848
7	22	J Logano	29.855
8	15	C Bowyer	29.857
9	11	D Hamlin	29.877
10	16	G Biffle	29.879
11	9	M Ambrose	29.960
12	14	T Stewart	29.972
13	1	J McMurray	29.990
14	4	K Harvick	30.014
15	2	B Keselowski	30.052
16	99	C Edwards	30.053
17	18	K Busch	30.072
18	34	D Ragan	30.083
19	48	J Johnson	30.104
20	55	B Vickers	30.106
21	5	K Kahne	30.142
22	38	D Gilliland	30.158
23	41	K Busch2	30.159
24	30	D Stremme	30.172
25	27	P Menard	30.187
26	13	C Mears	30.195
27	47	A Allmendinger	30.198
28	88	D Earnhardt Jr	30.207
29	31	R Newman	30.218
30	83	D Reutimann	30.226
31	93	T Kvapil	30.324
32	43	A Almirola	30.344
33	95	M McDowell	30.416
34	56	M Truex Jr.	30.498
35	10	D Patrick	30.521
36	87	J Nemechek	30.526
37	7	M Annett	30.564
38	21	T Bayne	30.613
39	26	M Waltrip	30.664
40	36	J Yeley	30.667
41	17	R Stenhouse Jr	30.726
42	32	K Schrader	30.762

Weather: Cloudy, 63 °F, Northeast 4 mph

Session: Race

OFFICIAL STANDINGS

F	S	#	DRIVER	INTERVAL	LAPS	LED	POINTS	STATUS
1	8	20	M Kenseth	105.427	54	24*	185	Running
2	7	16	G Biffle	-0.28	54	0	170	Running
3	11	41	K Busch2	-0.38	54	0	165	Running
4	16	22	J Logano	-0.49	54	0	160	Running
5	10	15	C Bowyer	-0.66	54	0	155	Running
6	14	11	D Hamlin	-0.80	54	0	150	Running
7	9	48	J Johnson	-0.87	54	0	146	Running
8	4	24	J Gordon	-1.10	54	3	147	Running
9	6	4	K Harvick	-1.43	54	0	138	Running
10	5	99	C Edwards	-1.60	54	0	134	Running
11	33	55	B Vickers	-2.33	54	0	130	Running
12	26	9	M Ambrose	-2.41	54	0	127	Running
13	18	88	D Earnhardt Jr	-2.46	54	0	124	Running
14	24	27	P Menard	-2.66	54	0	121	Running
15	29	83	D Reutimann	-2.85	54	0	118	Running
16	21	31	R Newman	-2.87	54	0	115	Running
17	1	013	T Nadz	-3.28	54	22	117	Running
18	31	43	A Almirola	-4.29	54	0	109	Running
19	23	47	A Allmendinger	-4.42	54	0	106	Running
20	35	30	D Stremme	-5.16	54	0	103	Running
21	13	14	T Stewart	-5.32	54	0	100	Running
22	38	26	M Waltrip	-6.81	54	0	97	Running
23	37	87	J Nemechek	-7.20	54	0	94	Running
24	39	36	J Yeley	-10.46	54	0	91	Running
25	42	32	K Schrader	-10.49	54	0	88	Running
26	27	13	C Mears	-10.75	54	0	85	Running
27	19	1	J McMurray	-10.92	54	0	82	Running
28	34	17	R Stenhouse Jr	-11.45	54	0	79	Running
29	32	93	T Kvapil	-1L	53	0	76	Running
30	20	56	M Truex Jr.	-5L	49	0	73	Gearbox
31	15	055	C Ferguson	-9L	45	0	70	Camshaft
32	25	34	D Ragan	-12L	42	0	67	Piston
33	22	5	K Kahne	-13L	41	0	64	Accident
34	12	2	B Keselowski	-13L	41	0	61	Accident
35	3	18	K Busch	-14L	40	0	58	Retired
36	28	38	D Gilliland	-14L	40	0	55	Retired
37	36	7	M Annett	-14L	40	0	52	Retired
38	41	21	T Bayne	-15L	39	0	49	Accident
39	30	95	M McDowell	-19L	35	0	46	Retired
40	40	10	D Patrick	-19L	35	0	43	Retired
41	17	021	T Bear	-19L	35	0	40	Accident
42	2	061	D Hamilton	-21L	33	5	42	Accident

Caution Flags: 8 (26 laps)

Lead Changes: 3 (4 drivers)

Weather: Cloudy, 63 °F, North 9 mph

Pitstop Frequency: 2x

AI Strength: 95%

PENALTIES

LAP	#	INFRACTION	PENALTY
5	021	Speeding in pits	Go to end of longest line
14	055	Dropping Debris	Pit for repairs
15	055	Unsafe pit exit	Stop and go
17	055	Speeding in pits	Drive through pit lane
34	061	Passing on the inside	Stop and go
35	061	Unsafe pit entrance	Go to end of longest line

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Nascar Sprint Cup Championship 2014 - 3 Las Vegas