2010 Unofficial NASCAR Sprint Cup Driver Standings

Below are the driver standings for the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (Race 4 of 35):

RANK	+/-	DRIVER	POINTS	BEHIND	STARTS	POLES	WINS	TOP 5	TOP 10
1	–	Kevin Harvick	644	Leader	4	0	0	2	4
2	+2	Matt Kenseth	618	-26	4	0	0	2	4
3	+3	Greg Biffle	585	-59	4	0	0	1	4
4	+1	Jimmie Johnson	570	-74	4	0	2	2	2
5	-3	Clint Bowyer	558	-86	4	0	0	1	3
6	+1	Jeff Burton	538	-106	4	0	0	1	1
7	-4	Mark Martin	521	-123	4	1	0	2	2
8	+3	Tony Stewart	510	-134	4	0	0	0	2
9	+8	Paul Menard	505	-139	4	0	0	1	1
10	+9	Kurt Busch	502	-142	4	1	1	1	2
11	+2	Jeff Gordon	482	-162	4	0	0	1	1
12	+4	Scott Speed	482	-162	4	0	0	0	1
13	+2	Dale Earnhardt Jr.	475	-169	4	1	0	1	1
14	-6	Joey Logano	471	-173	4	0	0	1	2
15	-3	Kyle Busch	468	-176	4	0	0	0	0
16	+2	Brian Vickers	466	-178	4	0	0	0	1
17	+6	Kasey Kahne	447	-197	4	0	0	1	2
18	-9	David Reutimann	440	-204	4	0	0	1	1
19	-5	Jamie McMurray	439	-205	4	1	1	1	1
20	-10	Carl Edwards	435	-209	4	0	0	0	1
21	+5	Juan Montoya	418	-226	4	0	0	1	2
22	–	Denny Hamlin	409	-235	4	0	0	0	0
23	+4	A.J. Allmendinger	398	-246	4	0	0	0	1
24	-3	Martin Truex Jr.	386	-258	4	0	0	0	1
25	-1	Elliott Sadler	380	-264	4	0	0	0	0
26	-1	Regan Smith	373	-271	4	0	0	0	0
27	-7	David Ragan	360	-284	4	0	0	0	0
28	+5	Marcos Ambrose	349	-295	4	0	0	0	0
29	+3	Ryan Newman	337	-307	4	0	0	0	0
30	+1	Bobby Labonte	328	-316	4	0	0	0	0
31	-3	Sam Hornish Jr.	325	-319	4	0	0	0	0
32	-3	Travis Kvapil	318	-326	4	0	0	0	0
33	-3	Brad Keselowski	295	-349	4	0	0	0	0
34	+3	Mike Bliss	276	-368	4	0	0	0	0
35	+1	Boris Said	252	-392	4	0	0	0	0
36	-2	Robby Gordon	249	-395	4	0	0	0	0
37	+1	David Gilliland	248	-396	3	0	0	0	0
38	-3	Max Papis	247	-397	4	0	0	0	0
39	+5	Bill Elliott	202	-442	2	0	0	0	0
40	–	Kevin Conway*	195	-449	3	0	0	0	0
41	-2	Michael McDowell	175	-469	4	0	0	0	0
42	–	Joe Nemechek	171	-473	4	0	0	0	0
43	-2	Dave Blaney	161	-483	3	0	0	0	0
44	-1	Michael Waltrip	109	-535	1	0	0	0	0
45	–	Robert Richardson Jr.	70	-574	1	0	0	0	0
46	–	Aric Almirola	68	-576	2	0	0	0	0
47	–	John Andretti	49	-595	1	0	0	0	0
48	–	Casey Mears	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
49	+2	Johnny Sauter	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
50	–	Todd Bodine	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
51	-2	Terry Cook*	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
52	–	Derrike Cope	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
53	–	Reed Sorenson	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
54	–	Mike Wallace	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
55	–	Norm Benning	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0
56	–	Jeff Fuller	0	-644	0	0	0	0	0

Despite Restarts, Busch Takes Atlanta

Kurt Busch won two races Sunday: the Kobalt Tools 500 and the Carl Edwards 25.

In a race that went 16 laps — nearly 25 miles — past its scheduled distance, after Edwards retaliated against Brad Keselowski for an incident earlier in Sunday’s Sprint Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Busch took advantage of a strong restart to grab the lead during the second attempt at a green-white-checkered and crossed the finish line .482 seconds ahead of runnerup Matt Kenseth.

Juan Montoya, who was closing in on Busch near the end of the regulation 325 laps, finished third but lost his chance to battle for the victory when Edwards hit Keselowski’s No. 12 Dodge on the frontstretch and sent it flying on Lap 323.

Below are the unofficial results of the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500:

Pruett Holds Off Donohue, Takes Grand Prix Of Miami

Scott Pruett held off a late charge by David Donohue and held on to win Saturday’s Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

 Pruett and Memo Rojas scored their second victory in three years at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 01 TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates BMW Riley, holding off the No. 59 Brumos Porsche Riley of Donohue and pole winner Darren Law by .255 seconds.

“I sure didn’t want to see that last caution, but I was happy for the fans,” Pruett said after scoring his 23rd Rolex Series overall victory. “This is tough competition. You never know what’s going to happen until the checkered flag falls. It was pretty exciting in my seat, that’s for sure.”

Donohue was able to pull up to the back of Pruett several times in the closing laps, but was unable to get by. Pruett managed to weave through GT traffic in the infield on the final lap, and maintained the lead through the superspeedway banking.

Alex Gurney finished third in the No. 99 GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing Chevrolet Riley started by Jon Fogarty.

Burt Frisselle finished fourth in the No. 61 AIM Autosport/Pacific Mobile Ford Riley, followed by Ryan Dalziel in the debut of the No. 8 Starworks BMW Riley started by Mike Forest, the leading Daytona Prototype Pro-Am driver in the event.

A turning point came on lap 81 of the two-hour, 45-minute race. The cockpit of the No. 30 Racers Edge Motorsports Mazda RX-8 exploded into flames, and Jordan Taylor came to a stop in the middle of pit road. The blaze was quickly extinguished and the race remained under green, but Taylor’s car was stopped at the center of the pit lane when Darren Law pitted in the race-leading No. 59 Brumos Racing Porsche Riley.

“There was a car on fire, there were people on pit lane, and I almost came to a stop,” Law explained. “I didn’t want to hit anybody. It’s unfortunate, because I lost all of the gap I had gained. Up until then, I was feeling really, really good.”

Donohue replaced Law on the ensuing pit stop. Pruett took the lead in the exchange and led the rest of the way.

Pruett and Rojas averaged 107.196 mph, completing 129 laps on the 2.3-mile circuit. The race remained caution-free until lap 115, for debris in turns four and eight. Law led a race-high 71 laps, followed by Pruett with 48. Other race leaders included Fogarty, who led the opening six laps, and Ryan Hunter-Reay, who led two laps in the No. 95 Level 5 Motorsports BMW Riley.

Rolex 24 At Daytona winners Terry Borcheller and Ryan Dalziel each led one lap in different cars. Borcheller was running in contention in the Daytona-winning No. 9 Action Express Racing Porsche Riley. Joao Barbosa, the 2009 Homestead winner seeking his third consecutive Rolex Series victory, went behind the wall early in his shift to replace the heat exchanger.

Max Angelelli and Ricky Taylor finished sixth in the No. 10 SunTrust Racing Ford Dallara. Rounding out the top 10 were Antonio Garcia and Buddy Rice in the No. 90 Spirit of Daytona Porsche Coyote; John Pew and Ozz Negri in the Michael Shank Racing No. 60 Crown Royal XR Ford Riley; Memo Gidley and Dion von Moltke in the No. 77 Doran Racing Ford Dallara; Michael Valiante and Brian Frisselle in the No. 6 Michael Shank Racing Ford Riley.

Frisselle lost a lap after contact with Rojas on the first turn of the first lap, costing the third-fastest qualifiers a chance at a podium finish.

Scott Tucker drove in two Daytona Prototypes fielded by Level 5 Motorsports. He started and finished 11th in the team’s No. 55, turning the car over to Christophe Bouchut. He then finished 14th in the No. 95 started by Hunter-Reay.

The next race for the GRAND-AM Rolex Series will be the April 10 Porsche 250 at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.

2010 Unofficial Driver Standings – CWTS

Below are the unofficial driver standings of the 2010 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:

Race 2 of 35:

Source: NASCAR

Harvick Earns Seventh CTWS Victory, Takes Atlanta

Eluding danger for most of Saturday’s E-Z-GO 200, Kevin Harvick led 100 of 130 laps, drove his No. 2 Chevrolet ahead of several wrecks and into Victory Lane at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick was able to pit under caution late in the race when Donny Lia got into the wall, allowing the No. 2 to get four new tires and maintain his lead over fellow Cup driver Kyle Busch.

Four-time and defending series champion Ron Hornaday, who started from the pole, was running third when a blown tire sent him slamming into the wall between Turns 3 and 4, causing severe damage to the rear deck of his truck.

Hornaday is off to a tough start this season, following up a 27th-place finish in the opening race at Daytona by placing 34th out of 36 trucks in Atlanta.

Starting from the third position, Matt Crafton slid into Todd Bodine, sending the two drivers to pit road for repairs. Moments later, Crafton reentered the race only to find the wall for a second time, ending his day. “I just fought being loose all day [Saturday]. He [Todd Bodine] started sucking me around and I lost it,” Crafton said.

Harvick’s win earns him the trifecta at Atlanta, now having won a race in all of NASCAR’s three premier series at the track, a feat he has accomplished at Phoenix as well.

Below are the unofficial results of the 2010 E-Z-GO 200:

A Trio of Star Mazda Champions at Miami GP

Homestead, FL / March 6, 2010 – The three most recent winners of the Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear are all behind the wheel of competitive cars for this afternoon’s start of the three-hour Grand Prix of Miami, Round 2 of the 2010 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Englishman Adam Christodoulou (2009 champion) and American John Edwards (2008) will start third on the GT grid co-driving the #68 SpeedSource/Newman Wachs Racing/ Nuclear Clean Air Energy / Entergy Mazda RX-8.  And 2007 champion, American Dane Cameron, co-driving with his uncle, Steve Cameron and Grand-Am veteran Rob Finlay, will start 5th on the Continental Tire GS-class grid in the #57 Rehagen Racing / Uncle Joe’s entry.

“I drove the car in qualifying, but Adam and I have a similar pace and driving styles so it’s easy to mix and match and we’ll alternate who qualifies during the season,” says Edwards who won the Star Mazda Championship with AIM Autosport and moved up to win the 2009 Atlantic Championship.  “We’re very happy with our pace in qualifying, and on old tires, and Adam and the team and I are all working well together, so we’re optimistic of a good finish.  The challenge for us will be to drive endurance-style rather than the flat-out open-wheel sprint races we’re used to, but I was pleasantly surprised how well-balanced and quick this Mazda RX-8 is.  The racing is different from what I’m used to, but it’s very competitive we I’m earning my living driving a factory-sponsored race car that’s capable of winning.”

MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development is backing the Christodoulou / Edwards effort in a car prepared by SpeedSource and fielded by Newman Wachs Racing.  This will be the first time either driver has raced a Grand-Am GT car, and is the start of a full-season program where the two will hone their skills in an unfamiliar form of racing, with the intention of helping Mazda win the 2010 Grand-Am GT class manufacturers’ championship.

“Both John and I won back-to-back titles in open-wheel racing, him in Star Mazda and Atlantic and me in European Formula Renault and Star Mazda.  This is a big change for both of us, but John and I are getting along very well and I’m coming to grips with the car, the traffic with the DP cars, the driver changes and all the other things that are part of winning endurance races.  The RX-8 is quicker than any other GT car I’ve ever driven, and it feels both light and very well planted so it’s quite fun to drive on the track.  The team engineering is quite good, and their race strategy is sound, so we just have to follow instruction, go as fast as we can without bending anything and we should be in the running.”

Cameron, who won the Star Mazda Championship in his rookie season running for JDC Motorsports (the same team Christodoulou won with last year), moved up to compete in the Atlantic Championship in 2008.  In 2009 he ran a full season in the #30 Racers Edge Mazda RX-8 in the GRAND-AM GT class and he began his 2010 season co-driving the #2 Beyer Racing/ uberwürx Daytona Prototype in the Rolex 24.  Cameron ran in the top-3 of the legendary event before a blown tire put him in the pits; the car completed 18 hours before retiring with mechanical problems.

“I’m hoping to run with Beyer Racing later in the season, but for now I’m really happy to be running with my uncle Steve Cameron and Rob Finlay,” says Cameron.  “Rob has been a big supporter of my career for years and Steve is not only an extremely fast driver but also one of the best driver coaches in the sport today.  You wouldn’t believe what he picks up by watching you for a couple of laps and I learn a lot every time I’m around him.  My time in the Star Mazda Championship and my involvement with the MAZDASPEED program really accelerated my career and I think it really says something that the past three champions are all here racing this weekend.”

It should also be noted that yet another Star Mazda champion, 2002 winner Guy Cosmo, is also on track with Dane Cameron in the Continental Tire race.  Cosmo has made a career in sports car racing, alternating between Daytona Prototypes and production-based cars.

The Grand Prix of Miami is scheduled to take the green flag at 5:07 pm ET and will be carried live on SPEED.

Earnhardt Jr. Edges Busch For AMS Pole

Hanging on to his car for dear life on one breathtaking lap, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the pole for Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway with the fastest lap in NASCAR’s new car since its introduction in 2007.

Earnhardt paced Friday’s qualifying session at the 1.54-mile race track with a lap at 192.716 mph, good enough to edge 2008 race winner Kyle Busch (192.280 mph) for the top spot. Juan Montoya (192.106 mph) qualified third, followed by Mark Martin (191.814 mph) and Jeff Gordon (191.774 mph).

The pole was Earnhardt’s second at Atlanta, the ninth of his career, his first since April 2008 at Texas and his third since September 2002 at Kansas.

Below is the starting grid for Sunday’s 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway:

Conor Daly to Compete with Juncos Racing in 2010 Season

VERO BEACH, Fla., March 5, 2010 – Conor Daly has announced his plans to compete with Juncos Racing in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship presented by Goodyear.  After topping the time sheets at the first official series test in Sebring at the end of January with the fastest overall time of 2:00.588, the 18-year-old is more than ready to return to the Championship this season where he will race his lucky #22 car in Juncos Racing colors.

“I am just thrilled to finally get our 2010 season plans confirmed,” said Daly.  “This has been a difficult winter trying to piece everything together.  I had a great three-day test with Juncos Racing in January, and I want to thank them for being so patient while we worked with sponsors and investors.  This will be the first time that I have returned to a series, and I personally feel better prepared for this racing season than any time in the past.  I have never seen a team so dedicated to success, and I very much look forward to the first race in Sebring.”

Daly represented the MAZDASPEED Motorsports Development program in both 2008 when he won the Skip Barber National Championship and in 2009 when he finished an impressive third overall in the Star Mazda Championship with 416 points, just behind Adam Christodoulou of JDC Motorsports and Peter Dempsey of Juncos Racing.  Now, the son of racing legend Derek Daly is set to try to claim the Star Mazda Championship title in 2010 with Juncos Racing as he continues his journey on the “Road to Indy.”

“I’m very happy that Conor was able to get all the sponsors and investors committed for the 2010 season,” said Team Owner Ricardo Juncos.  “It seems like we finally have 100 percent of everything lined up for this year’s Championship.  It is great for us to have Conor on our team this season.  It will be both Conor’s and our team’s second year in the Star Mazda Championship this season, and we are definitely ready to start working and applying what we achieved last year in 2010.

“At the Sebring official test in January, we could see that Conor matched perfectly with the team.  I’m really confident with him; he’s very professional, determined and committed to winning.  I can tell that he and Juncos are going to be a really good combination.”

With what seems to be the right mix of knowledge, dedication and passion, Daly and Juncos Racing are ready to pursue the 2010 Championship title they are both craving.  Daly, along with new teammate Tatiana Calderon, will represent Juncos Racing in the 2010 Star Mazda Championship beginning with the season-opener at the Sebring International Raceway on March 19.  For more information, go to www.juncosracing.com or www.starmazda.com.

Nuts and Bolts

Some news tidbits from the world of NASCAR:

• Four-time Cup Series shampion and six-time Talladega winner Jeff Gordon is scheduled to make an appearance in the Amp Energy-Pepsi Max Pit Tour Experience on April 25 at Talladega Superspeedway.

      The Pit Tour Experience includes admission to the Experience, located in the Hospitality Village; continental breakfast; unlimited drinks (Pepsi products, water, beer); suite/hospitality parking pass; pre-race pit road tour (schedule and weather permitting); event souvenir; scheduled appearance by Gordon; separate entrance for early access. The Pit Tour Experience package is $140 per person and must be accompanied by a frontstretch grandstand or tower ticket.

      For more information, visit www.talladegasuperspeedway.com or call (877) Go2-DEGA.

Stay tuned to Your Track Pass for more NASCAR news, information and commentary.

Alexander Tabbed By TNT As NASCAR Announcer

TNT announced that Adam Alexander has been hired to provide play-by-play for the six NASCAR races that the network will cover during the summer.

He will replace Bill Weber, who didn’t call the final three races of TNT’s coverage last season; currently, he is a reporter for SPEED and has also worked as a play-by-play announcer for Motor Racing Network and will work with analysts Kyle Petty and Wally Dallenbach on the SPEED side.

TNT also announced that Lindsay Czarnik will host its pre-race show and will also host TNT and NASCAR.com’s post-race coverage and give mid-race updates and reports.