MARTINSVILLE, VA - RIS -

Points Report
Martinsville Speedway
SUBWAY 500
UNOFFICAL   Provided by NASCAR Statistics-    Sunday, 10/21/2007 @ 6:35 PM Eastern   UNOFFICAL
Pos   Driver   BPts   Points   Ldr   Nxt   Starts   Pole   Wins   T5s   T10   DNFs   Money Won   PPos   G/L
1    Jeff Gordon   145   6055   0   0   32   7   6   20   26   1   $6,531,278   1   0
2    Jimmie Johnson   110   6002   -53   -53   32   3   7   17   20   4   $6,455,627   2   0
3    Clint Bowyer   70   5940   -115   -62   32   2   1   5   16   0   $3,831,569   3   0
4    Tony Stewart   120   5806   -249   -134   32   0   3   10   22   4   $5,835,282   4   0
5    Carl Edwards   60   5767   -288   -39   32   0   3   9   13   3   $4,062,237   5   0
6    Kyle Busch   90   5765   -290   -2   32   0   1   10   18   2   $4,188,318   6   0
7    Kevin Harvick   55   5686   -369   -79   32   0   1   4   13   0   $6,934,224   8   1
8    Denny Hamlin   90   5681   -374   -5   32   1   1   11   17   1   $4,441,589   9   1
9    Jeff Burton   35   5649   -406   -32   32   0   1   8   14   3   $5,430,829   10   1
10    Kurt Busch   115   5635   -420   -14   32   1   2   5   11   3   $4,598,389   7   -3
11    Martin Truex Jr.   70   5608   -447   -27   32   0   1   6   11   3   $4,349,926   11   0
12    Matt Kenseth   95   5593   -462   -15   32   0   1   9   18   4   $5,409,415   12   0
13    Dale Earnhardt Jr.   90   3626   -2429   -1967   32   1   0   7   12   6   $4,725,781   13   0
14    Ryan Newman   80   3560   -2495   -66   32   5   0   5   13   8   $4,475,634   15   1
15    Greg Biffle   30   3531   -2524   -29   32   0   1   4   10   4   $3,905,330   16   1
16    Casey Mears   45   3508   -2547   -23   32   1   1   5   10   2   $3,774,150   14   -2
17    Bobby Labonte   35   3159   -2896   -349   32   0   0   0   3   3   $4,111,637   17   0
18    Jamie McMurray   25   3113   -2942   -46   32   1   1   3   8   3   $3,402,082   19   1
19    Kasey Kahne   30   3103   -2952   0   32   2   0   1   7   5   $4,623,005   20   0
20    Juan Pablo Montoya    10   3103   -2952   -10   32   0   1   3   6   4   $4,348,708   21   2
21    J.J. Yeley   15   3095   -2960   -8   32   1   0   1   3   5   $3,887,283   18   -3
22    David Ragan #   5   2929   -3126   -166   32   0   0   2   2   3   $4,245,249   22   0
23    Reed Sorenson   30   2859   -3196   -70   32   1   0   2   5   5   $3,595,452   23   0
24    David Stremme   10   2844   -3211   -15   32   0   0   0   3   5   $2,860,333   24   0
25    Elliott Sadler   40   2761   -3294   -83   32   0   0   0   2   1   $3,554,682   26   1
26    Mark Martin   30   2727   -3328   -34   21   0   0   5   10   1   $3,820,467   25   -1
27    Jeff Green   20   2704   -3351   -23   32   0   0   0   3   4   $3,390,406   28   1
28    David Gilliland   5   2662   -3393   -42   32   1   0   1   2   4   $3,907,597   29   1
29    Robby Gordon   35   2628   -3427   -34   30   0   0   1   2   2   $2,703,029   27   -2
30    Tony Raines   10   2595   -3460   -33   30   0   0   0   1   3   $2,925,822   31   1
31    Johnny Sauter   15   2568   -3487   -27   31   0   0   1   2   2   $2,816,839   30   -1
32    Dave Blaney   35   2430   -3625   -138   29   1   0   1   4   8   $3,186,601   32   0
33    Ricky Rudd   5   2229   -3826   -201   27   0   0   0   1   6   $3,239,268   33   0
34    Paul Menard #   10   2181   -3874   -48   26   0   0   0   0   3   $2,111,324   34   0
35    Kyle Petty   35   2009   -4046   -172   25   0   0   1   1   4   $2,488,617   36   1
36    Joe Nemechek   5   1955   -4100   -54   25   0   0   0   1   6   $2,155,842   35   -1
37    Scott Riggs   0   1935   -4120   -20   25   0   0   0   1   5   $2,455,266   37   0
38    David Reutimann #   10   1756   -4299   -179   24   0   0   0   0   8   $2,185,431   39   1
39    Brian Vickers   35   1700   -4355   -56   19   0   0   1   4   4   $1,775,001   38   -1
40    Sterling Marlin   15   1600   -4455   -100   19   0   0   0   0   4   $1,928,740   40   0
41    Dale Jarrett   0   1317   -4738   -283   21   0   0   0   0   7   $1,853,232   41   0
42    Bill Elliott   20   1275   -4780   -42   16   0   0   0   0   2   $1,656,784   42   0
43    Kenny Wallace   10   1066   -4989   -209   15   0   0   0   0   3   $1,411,828   43   0
44    Michael Waltrip   15   1019   -5036   -47   13   1   0   0   2   3   $1,342,501   46   2
45    AJ Allmendinger #   0   999   -5056   -20   15   0   0   0   0   1   $1,125,607   44   -1
46    Ward Burton   5   939   -5116   -60   16   0   0   0   0   8   $1,279,722   47   1
47    Ken Schrader   10   932   -5123   -7   13   0   0   0   0   4   $1,519,346   45   -2
48    Jeremy Mayfield   15   855   -5200   -77   13   0   0   0   0   3   $1,031,994   48   0
49    John Andretti   5   853   -5202   -2   14   0   0   0   0   8   $1,112,025   49   0
50    Regan Smith   5   516   -5539   -337   7   0   0   0   0   0   $648,051   50   0
51    Boris Said   5   510   -5545   -6   5   0   0   0   1   0   $671,083   51   0
52    Mike Bliss   0   325   -5730   -185   4   0   0   0   0   1   $399,667   52   0
53    Ron Fellows   5   283   -5772   -42   2   0   0   1   1   0   $215,875   53   0
54    Aric Almirola   0   272   -5783   -11   5   0   0   0   0   3   $418,255   56   2
55    P J Jones   0   267   -5788   -5   3   0   0   0   0   0   $237,816   54   -1
BPts -  Bonus Points, -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, PPos = Previous Position, G/L = Points standing gain/loss
Pos   Driver   BPts   Points   Ldr   Nxt   Starts   Pole   Wins   T5s   T10   DNFs   Money Won   PPos   G/L
56    Mike Wallace   0   266   -5789   -1   2   0   0   1   1   0   $724,066   55   -1
57    Terry Labonte   0   204   -5851   -62   3   0   0   0   0   1   $307,469   57   0
58    Chad McCumbee   0   128   -5927   -76   2   0   0   0   0   0   $151,308   58   0
59    Chad Chaffin   0   125   -5930   -3   2   0   0   0   0   0   $149,450   59   0
60    Patrick Carpentier   5   102   -5953   -23   1   0   0   0   0   0   $72,850   60   0
61    Jacques Villeneuve   0   100   -5955   -2   1   0   0   0   0   0   $73,325   61   0
62    Kevin Lepage   0   95   -5960   -5   2   0   0   0   0   1   $187,107   62   0
63    Butch Leitzinger   0   79   -5976   -16   1   0   0   0   0   0   $69,800   63   0
64    Jon Wood   0   76   -5979   -3   1   0   0   0   0   0   $131,933   64   0
65    Johnny Benson   0   70   -5985   -6   1   0   0   0   0   0   $64,875   65   0
66    Scott Wimmer   0   70   -5985   0   1   0   0   0   0   0   $139,450   66   0
67    Marc Goossens   0   55   -6000   -15   1   0   0   0   0   0   $68,760   67   0
68    Robby Gordon   0               1   0   0   0   0   0   $60,200   79   -20
69    Derrike Cope   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $20,008   75   7
70    Frank Kimmel   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,958   87   18
71    Eric McClure   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,833   89   19
72    Kirk Shelmerdine   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,808   95   24
73    Mike Skinner   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,733   98   26
74    Stanton Barrett   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,350   72   -1
75    Brandon Whitt   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,275   99   25
76    James Hylton   0               0   0   0   0   0   0   $19,200   86   11
BPts -  Bonus Points, -Ldr/-Nxt = Points behind Leader/Next higher, PPos = Previous Position, G/L = Points standing gain/loss

MARTINSVILLE, VA - RIS -

NASCAR Race Number 32
Unofficial Race Results for the Subway "500" - Sunday, October 21, 2007
Martinsville Speedway - Martinsville, VA - .53 Mile Paved
Total Race Length - 506 Laps - 266.16 Miles - Purse: $4,872,371
 
Leader
Fin   Str   Car   Driver   Team   Laps   Pts   Bns   Total Award   Status   Times   Laps
1   4   48   Jimmie Johnson   Lowe's Chevrolet   506   190   5   $244,486   Running   4   147
2   12   12   Ryan Newman   alltel Dodge   506   170       $181,625   Running       
3   1   24   Jeff Gordon   DuPont Chevrolet   506   175   10   $183,386   Running   2   168
4   6   5   Kyle Busch   Kellogg's/CARQUEST Chevrolet   506   165   5   $130,375   Running   3   106
5   24   17   Matt Kenseth   R&L Carriers/DeWalt Ford   506   155       $147,916   Running       
6   30   11   Denny Hamlin   FedEx Freight Chevrolet   506   150       $105,800   Running       
7   37   16   Greg Biffle   Dish Network Ford   506   146       $103,950   Running       
8   26   42   Juan Pablo Montoya #   Texaco/Havoline Dodge   506   147   5   $116,850   Running   1   9
9   21   07   Clint Bowyer   Jack Daniel's Chevrolet   506   138       $85,625   Running       
10   3   29   Kevin Harvick   Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet   506   134       $131,761   Running       
11   18   31   Jeff Burton   AT&T Mobility Chevrolet   506   135   5   $109,816   Running   1   51
12   20   99   Carl Edwards   Office Depot Ford   506   127       $81,125   Running       
13   34   20   Tony Stewart   The Home Depot Chevrolet   506   124       $116,611   Running       
14   10   96   Tony Raines   DLP HDTV Chevrolet   506   121       $79,450   Running       
15   5   9   Kasey Kahne   Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge   506   118       $113,591   Running       
16   32   10   Scott Riggs   Valvoline/Stanley Tools Dodge   506   115       $76,900   Running       
17   19   00   David Reutimann #   Dominos.com Toyota   506   112       $87,408   Running       
18   29   55   Michael Waltrip   NAPA Auto Parts Toyota   506   109       $80,133   Running       
19   2   1   Martin Truex Jr.   Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Boats    506   106       $95,695   Running       
20   22   25   Casey Mears   National Guard/GMAC Chevrolet   506   103       $83,975   Running       
21   42   45   Kyle Petty   Marathon American Spirit Motor Oil    506   100       $80,858   Running       
22   16   43   Bobby Labonte   Goody's Headache Powder/Cheerios    506   97       $103,386   Running       
23   7   8   Dale Earnhardt Jr.   Budweiser Chevrolet   506   99   5   $108,958   Running   1   24
24   35   15   Paul Menard #   Menards/Pittsburgh Paints Chevrolet   505   91       $66,050   Running       
25   40   38   David Gilliland   M&M's Ford   505   88       $93,514   Running       
26   41   6   David Ragan #   AAA Ford   505   85       $101,650   Running       
27   23   88   Ricky Rudd   Combos/Snickers Ford   504   82       $96,308   Running       
28   31   66   Jeff Green   HAAS CNC Machine Tools/Best Buy    503   84   5   $84,683   Running   1   1
29   13   70   Johnny Sauter   HAAS CNC Machine Tools/Yellow    503   76       $64,775   Running       
30   33   44   Dale Jarrett   UPS Toyota   503   73       $62,025   Running       
31   11   2   Kurt Busch   Miller Lite Dodge   501   70       $98,483   Running       
32   9   26   Jamie McMurray   Crown Royal Ford   500   67       $72,175   Running       
33   15   49   John Andretti   Paralyzed Veterans of America Dodge   492   64       $71,472   Transmission       
34   43   21   Bill Elliott   Little Debbie Snack Cakes Ford   483   61       $82,564   Engine       
35   25   84   AJ Allmendinger #   Red Bull Toyota   474   58       $60,725   Running       
36   17   22   Dave Blaney   Caterpillar Toyota   439   55       $68,575   Running       
37   38   40   David Stremme   Target House Dodge   410   52       $60,450   Accident       
38   36   4   Ward Burton   ITT Night Vision/State Water    406   49       $60,325   Running       
39   39   7   Robby Gordon   MAC Tools Ford   390   46       $60,200   Running       
40   14   19   Elliott Sadler   Dodge Dealers/UAW Dodge   371   43       $78,420   Running       
41   28   41   Reed Sorenson   Target Dodge   259   40       $67,930   Engine       
42   8   18   J.J. Yeley   Interstate Batteries Chevrolet   258   37       $87,713   Engine       
43   27   01   Aric Almirola   U.S. Army Chevrolet   111   34       $67,940   Electrical       
 Race Comments:   Before an estimated crowd of 66,500  - Jimmie Johnson won the Subway 500, his 30th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series victory. No one dropped to the rear.
 Failed to Qualify:   (5) 06 Sam Hornish Jr., 78 Joe Nemechek, 83 Brian Vickers, 36 Jeremy Mayfield, 37 Kevin Lepage.
 Time of Race:   03 Hrs, 59 Mins, 45 Secs.   Average Speed:   66.608 MPH   Margin of Victory:   Caution Seconds
 Caution Flags:   21 for 127 laps: Laps: 45-50 (#7 accident turn 3); 69-73 (#70 accident turn 1); 82-87 (#38,44 accident turn 2); 93-98 (#6,10,19 accident turn 1); 114-124 (#01 on fire backstretch); 168-172 (#2 accident turn 1); 188-192 (#55 spun turn 3); 216-220 (Debris); 249-255 (Debris); 259-269 (Oil on track); 296-300 (#6 spun turn 2); 343-348 (#66 accident turn 3); 396-402 (#40 spun turn 2); 413-422 (#40 accident turn 2); 442-446 (#1,25 accident turn 3); 459-463 (#88 spun backstretch); 467-470 (#45,1 accident turn 3); 478-481 (#1,9,49 accident frontstretch); 486-490 (Oil on track); 497-504 (#25,43,45 accident backstretch); 506-506 ().
 Lead Changes:   12 among 7 drivers: J. Gordon 1-108; J. Johnson 109-116; J. Burton 117-167; J. Green 168; Ky. Busch 169-216; J. Montoya # 217-225; D. Earnhardt Jr. 226-249; Ky. Busch 250-296; J. Johnson 297-343; Ky. Busch 344-354; J. Johnson 355-396; J. Gordon 397-456; J. Johnson 457-506.
Top 12 Driver Points:    (1) J. Gordon 6,055;(2) J. Johnson 6,002;(3) C. Bowyer 5,940;(4) T. Stewart 5,806;(5) C. Edwards 5,767;(6) Ky. Busch 5,765;(7) K. Harvick 5,686;(8) D. Hamlin 5,681;(9) J. Burton 5,649;(10) Ku. Busch 5,635;(11) M. Truex Jr. 5,608;(12) M. Kenseth 5,593.
Budweiser Pole Award   : Jeff Gordon, #24 (94.974 mph)   Checkers/Rally's   : Kyle Busch, #5 (242.325 Seconds)
Commit Lozenges   : Jeff Gordon, #24    DIRECTV   : Kevin Harvick, #29
DOW Automotive Strategic Call   : Jimmie Johnson, #48    EA Sports   : Jimmie Johnson, #48
Goodyear Gatorback Fastest Lap   : Jimmie Johnson, #48 (92.746 mph, Lap 474)   Mobil 1   : Ryan Newman, #12
Raybestos Rookie of the Race   : Juan Pablo Montoya, #42    Sunoco Diamond Performance    : Jimmie Johnson, #48
USG Improving the Finish   : Greg Biffle, #16 (30 Places)   WIX Lap Leader   : Jeff Gordon, #24 (168 Laps)
Next Race:   Oct. 28, 2007 - Atlanta Motor Speedway
NASCAR Public Relations @ P.O. Box 2875, Daytona Beach, FL 32120-2875

DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 00 Domino’s Pizza Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finished:  17th

How was the race today and how crazy was the race with so many cautions? “This was just a long, drawn out day.  Our car was never very good -- we kept working on it, but we were just never very good.  We tried to make the car as good as we could with some adjustments and we got it back to position to get our lap back.  We just tried to survive today -- that’s about all we could do.  The race wasn’t too crazy out there today even with all the cautions, but it got pretty wild there at the end.”

MICHAEL WALTRIP, No. 55 NAPA Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finished:  18th

How was your race today? “All we really did today was survive and persevere.  Our car wasn’t all that good -- our COT (Car of Tomorrow) stuff has not performed at all like we need it to.  But we’re re-grouping and trying to build some new cars for 2008 -- Dr. (Eric) Warren (Competition Director) and all of our friends at TRD (Toyota Racing Development) have come up with a plan -- it’s a better plan then we have right now.  I think that will bring some of the changes we need in that program.  I’m real proud of David (Reutimann) today -- he kept fighting and got a good finish.  Dale (Jarrett) ran good today too and he probably had a better car than me or David, but he got spun out early in the race and that cost him positions.  Everybody just survived and I’m proud of everybody.”

DALE JARRETT, No. 44 UPS Toyota Camry, Michael Waltrip Racing Finished:  30th

AJ ALLMENDINGER, No. 84 Red Bull Toyota Camry, Team Red Bull Finished:  35th

How was your race today? “We’re definitely a lot better than we were the last time we were here.  There were times today when we were running good laps and could run top-15 and top-10 times.  But as the run went on we would fade and I couldn’t find the right line to run.  At times we were just junk, but we were still a lot better than we were in the spring.  We got in the race easier than we did the last time and I think if we wouldn’t have had the alternator problem --  we would have finished a lot better just on speed.  But when we ran around some of the top-10 guys today -- we weren’t even close. We should have gained enough points on the No. 36 (Jeremy Mayfield) to be locked in the race at Atlanta next weekend if it rains, so if we got that spot then that is the only positive thing that came out of today.  We gained a lot of notes from the race today that should help us when we come back, but on these short tracks we still have a lot of work to do.” After your strong run last week at Charlotte, are you looking forward to heading to a track very similar -- Atlanta? “I’m excited to get to Atlanta, but obviously we’re still inconsistent.  Obviously when it comes to a race track like that it gets cold and it gets fast so one little mistake and you’re not in the race.  It’s going to be touch and go to get in the race, but I’m really looking forward to it after the run we had in Charlotte.”

DAVE BLANEY, No. 22 Caterpillar Toyota Camry, Bill Davis Racing Finished:  36th

What happened that put you in the garage? “We broke the transmission and I thought it might be going.  The last 10 laps it was shaking really bad and then it just broke on the restart.  The car just wasn’t very good all day and we could never get it any better.  We tried staying out a couple times to get track position, but we could never hang on.  I really thought we would have been better today because we practiced strong, but we just couldn’t get it to improve no matter what we changed.” How was the car after you returned to the race track? “The shaking was still there in the car after we got the transmission fixed so we really don’t know what was causing that.   But it felt real low on power and everyone was stacking up so bad on all those restarts that it was hard to get any feel for the car.  Whatever the problem is -- we need to figure it out.”

# # #

FORD RACING NOTES AND QUOTES    Subway 500, Page 1                             
October 21, 2007        Martinsville Speedway                   

BILL ELLIOTT – No. 21 Little Debbie Ford Fusion (Finished 34th) – “I’ve never raced so hard to get nowhere in all my life.  We got pretty good and then all of a sudden something happened and I got really loose.  Then the pump belt came off of it.”

GREG BIFFLE – No. 16 Dish Network Ford Fusion (Finished 7th) – “That was a win.  I won!  That’s the first time I’ve finished a race at Martinsville in my life – my life.  It’s unbelievable.  The thing about it is those guys gave me a car good enough to win and I finished seventh.  I mean, that car could have won that race.  I’ve never had a car like that here.  I got it down on how to brake and I learned a lot from watching Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson and Matt.  I learned a lot from those guys and applied it and got a seventh-place finish.  It’s just unbelievable.”

MATT KENSETH – No. 17 R&L Carriers Ford Fusion (Finished 5th) – DO YOU LIKE THIS PLACE JUST A LITTLE BIT BETTER AFTER TODAY?  “Maybe a little.  It’s still one of my least favorites because you get run into and you run into people and all that stuff is going one, but, certainly, like any other track, the better you run the more fun it is.  We didn’t run horribly bad today.  We called the race right and got a good finish.”  TWO TIRES AT THE END WAS THE RIGHT CALL.  “If it would have gone green, I don’t think it would have worked but with all the short runs it worked out for us.  When you get all of those short runs and everybody starts wrecking, you only run eight or nine laps at a time and with runs like that, four tires wasn’t gonna pass you.  It was alright.”

JAMIE MCMURRAY – No. 26 Crown Royal Ford Fusion (Finished 32nd) – “I guess the seal or something went out in one of the rear calipers and it got too hot.  We lost all of the fluids and had to come in and work on it.  We lost a few laps and then eventually the seal on the other side went out as well, so it was a long day.  We’ve never had brake troubles, so I don’t know if we got them too hot or just got a bad part.”

RICKY RUDD – No. 88 Snickers Ford Fusion (Finished 27th) – “I got spun out and I got spun out late in the race -- instead of having something like that happen early in the race.  Then we couldn’t get it cranked and we lost a lap on the race track because I couldn’t get it fired up.  Then we came down pit road and had a little bit of a mix up.  We had a flat left side and they went to the right side.  We ended up staying there too long and gave up a lap on pit road, so we lost those two laps there.  We weren’t a great car.  We were gonna end up 15th to 17th.  That’s where we were running when we got wrecked.”  HOW IS THE SHOULDER?  “I’m sore.  I’m hurting pretty good right now.  My right one is hurting about as much as my left one because my left one quit working so I had to use my right one a lot.  I don’t know.  It’s not too good, but it could be worse.”

CARL EDWARDS – No. 99 Office Depot Ford Fusion (Finished 12th) – “That was a long race.  That’s one of the longest ones I’ve ever had.  Our Office Depot Fusion was great at the beginning and then the alternator quit alternating or whatever it does and I ran out of one battery.  We had to shut all the fans off.  The thing was overheating and I didn’t have my fan on in there.  I was getting a little hot and we kept fighting back and got an 11th-place finish.  That might be my best Martinsville finish ever, but I’m just really proud of my guys.”  CONSIDERING EVERYTHING ARE YOU HAPPY TO GET OUT OF HERE WITH AN 11TH?  “Yeah.  It’s great.  We’re auctioning off this City of Hope suit and helmet and it’s going to be the sweatiest auction item in the history of the world.  It was a very, very long day, but we ended up 11th – that’s alright.”

MARTINSVILLE, VA - RIS - The unofficial results of Sunday's Subway 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR - Nextel Cup - Subway 500 Final Results
Martinsville Speedway - Martinsville, VA
 
Fin Start No. Driver Points Car Laps Completed
 
1 4 48 Jimmie Johnson 190 Chevrolet 506
 
2 12 12 Ryan Newman 170 Dodge 506
 
3 1 24 Jeff Gordon 175 Chevrolet 506
 
4 6 5 Kyle Busch 165 Chevrolet 506
 
5 24 17 Matt Kenseth 155 Ford 506

6 30 11 Denny Hamlin 150 Chevrolet 506

7 37 16 Greg Biffle 146 Ford 506

8 26 42 Juan Montoya 147 Dodge 506
 
9 21 07 Clint Bowyer 138 Chevrolet 506
 
10 3 29 Kevin Harvick 134 Chevrolet 506
 
11 18 31 Jeff Burton 135 Chevrolet 506
 
12 20 99 Carl Edwards 127 Ford 506

13 34 20 Tony Stewart 124 Chevrolet 506

14 10 96 Tony Raines 121 Chevrolet 506
 
15 5 9 Kasey Kahne 118 Dodge 506
 
16 32 10 Scott Riggs 115 Dodge 506
 
17 19 00 David Reutimann 112 Toyota 506
 
18 29 55 Michael Waltrip 109 Toyota 506
 
19 2 1 Martin Truex, Jr. 106 Chevrolet 506
 
20 22 25 Casey Mears 103 Chevrolet 506

21 42 45 Kyle Petty 100 Dodge 506
 
22 16 43 Bobby Labonte 97 Dodge 506
 
23 7 8 Dale Earnhardt Jr. 99 Chevrolet 506
 
24 35 15 Paul Menard 91 Chevrolet 505

25 40 38 David Gilliland 88 Ford 505

26 41 6 David Ragan 85 Ford 505

27 23 88 Ricky Rudd 82 Ford 504

28 31 66 Jeff Green 84 Chevrolet 503
 
29 13 70 Johnny Sauter 76 Chevrolet 503

30 33 44 Dale Jarrett 73 Toyota 503
 
31 11 2 Kurt Busch 70 Dodge 501

32 9 26 Jamie McMurray 67 Ford 500

33 15 49 John Andretti 64 Dodge 492
 
34 43 21 Bill Elliott 61 Ford 483
 
35 25 84 A.J. Allmendinger 58 Toyota 474
 
36 17 22 Dave Blaney 55 Toyota 439
 
37 38 40 David Stremme 52 Dodge 410
 
38 36 4 Ward Burton 49 Chevrolet 406
 
39 39 7 Robby Gordon 46 Ford 390
 
40 14 19 Elliott Sadler 43 Dodge 371
 
41 28 41 Reed Sorenson 40 Dodge 259
 
42 8 18 J.J. Yeley 37 Chevrolet 111
 
43 27 01 Aric Almirola 34 Chevrolet 111 electrical TBA
 
Race Information
Track Length: 0.526 miles
Laps: 506
Average Speed: 66.608 m.p.h.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 59 minutes, 45 seconds
Margin of Victory: under caution
Caution Flags: 21 for 127 laps
Lead Changes: 12 among 7 drivers

MARTINSVILLE, VA – RIS – Jimmie Johnson repeated as a winner at Martinsville to take the Subway 500, no 506, after holding off Ryan Newman during a green-white-caution flag 21 – checkered flag finish.  Jeff Gordon now calls his teammate “Mr. Martinsville” after Johnson took his fourth victory and eleventh top-10 finish in twelve races at the tight little half-mile track.

Johnson’s third straight victory at Martinsville puts him in the same category as Rusty Wallace, Darrell Waltrip, Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty and Fred Lorenzen with at least three consecutive wins on the little Virginia speedway.

The finish was set up by caution number twenty, a new race record, with three laps remaining to make it to the official finish distance.  After Tony Raines spun Bobby Labonte coming out of turn two and then included Casey Mears, Kyle Petty, Martin Truex Jr. along with the remainder of the field, the dash to the finish was lined up as Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch.  Note that this included three Hendrick cars in the top five.  This was the order of the day.  Hendrick cars dominated once again at Martinsville.

When the final green flag flew for the green-white-checkered finish, Newman put a charge on Johnson while Jeff Gordon appeared to fade a little bit and Kyle Busch worked beside Gordon after making his way past Kenseth.  With the lead pack passing under the white flag, David Ragan’s car sat sideways at the bottom of turns one and two with the driver’s side facing oncoming traffic.  The yellow flag flew to hold the finish as Johnson, Newman, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.  What might have been then became a moot point.  Kyle Busch appeared to pass Jeff Gordon but Gordon was credited with third when the field was frozen.   Newman was greatly disappointed that he had no final chance to pass Johnson.  Ryan said, “I had my nose at his (Johnson’s) rear tire when the last yellow came out.”

With six caution flags within the last fifty laps of the race, the leaders remained bunched up with lapped cars on the inside on each restart.  No continuity would come.  The old adage of “cautions breed cautions” was perfectly illustrated during this last leg of the Subway 500.  Ryan Newman managed to progress a little bit with only two new tires taken during his final pit stop.  Dale Earnhardt Jr., the usual fan favorite, had a disappointing fade when running fourth with ten laps to go.  While circling under caution, black smoke started belching from his exhaust and he faded to a twenty-third finish.

After the victory burnouts were completed, the finish order was given as Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth.

Gordon’s third place finish allowed him to maintain the lead for the Chase for the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup by a margin of 53 points over Jimmie Johnson.  With the success of the Hendrick cars and the high finishes of the Hendrick drivers, it was surprising to hear Jeff Gordon say that he was not satisfied with the Car of Tomorrow and the inability to pass with this car.  Gordon declared, “If we can’t pass at Martinsville with this car, something needs to be done.” 

The drivers might have problems with the COT, but the cream still manages to rise to the top.  Seven of the Chase drivers posted top-10 finishes.  Finishing sixth through tenth were Denny Hamlin, Greg Biffle, Juan Pablo Montoya, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick.  Montoya was the highest finishing rookie in the race.

Mathematically, all twelve of the Chase drivers are still eligible for the Championship with four races remaining.  The top twelve points situation is Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson (-53), Clint Bowyer (-115), Tony Stewart (-249), Carl Edwards (-288), Kyle Busch (-290), Kevin Harvick (-369), Denny Hamlin (-374), Jeff Burton (-406), Kurt Busch (-420), Martin Truex Jr. (-447) and Matt Kenseth (-462).

The next race in the Chase is October 28, 2007 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

RIS/NC Ed Turner

MARTINSVILLE, VA – RIS – Jimmie Johnson survived a wild battle with Ryan Newman to win the Subway 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.  It all came down to a green-white-checker finish that didn’t made it the two laps, as David Ragan spun in the first turn on the white flag, giving the victory to Johnson.

As the finish unfolded, Newman was on Johnson’s bumper as they crossed the start-finish line.  Newman had the lower line and had a fender alongside Johnson when Ragan spun, ending the race.  NASCAR will only make one attempt at a green-white-checker finish.

The race was billed as a race between Johnson and Gordon, so who was Johnson more worried about as the final laps approached?

“I was more worried about the 12 than anyone else,” Johnson said.  “Jeff and I raced well.  I chased him the last two weeks and my tongue was hanging out, but he came over to me and called me ‘Mr. Martinsville,’ but we’re teammates.”

The race set a record for caution flags—21 in all—and was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets.  Of the 506 laps run, Hendrick Chevrolets led 421.  In fact, Chevrolet drivers Johnson, Gordon, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton, and Jeff Green led 497 of the 506 laps or nearly 98%.

Newman made a torrid run to finish second.  With 125 laps to go, he was in 6th place, but the constant cautions allowed him to move into third place with 55 laps to go.  He raced then second place Gordon which involved some contact.  Gordon showed his displeasure by bumping Newman after the race was over.

“Ryan was faster than I was, so I gave him plenty of room,” said Gordon, “but he nearly cost us the race and I showed him how I felt after the caution.”

Newman was unrepentant.  When asking what he and Gordon were talking about after the race, Newman replied, “We were just telling each other how much we hated each other.”

The race started according to the script that said Gordon would dominate and win.  After an initial struggle with Martin Truex, Jr. for the first few laps, he moved out to a comfortable lead and lapped his first car at Lap 27.  After the fifth caution for a spin by Michael Waltrip, Kyle Busch found himself in the lead, one he held for 48 laps, but more cautions would follow.

Rookie Juan Pablo Montoya took the lead at Lap 217 after a debris caution for which he did not pit and held on for nine laps.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr. led for 24 laps from laps 226-249 until he was passed by Kyle Busch who led another 47 laps from laps 250-296.

At Lap 297, Johnson took back the lead and although Busch and Gordon held the lead again, Johnson made his final move with 55 to go and never gave it up.

The race was the eighth win in the last 10 races at Martinsville Speedway and Johnson now has won three straight, tying him with such notable drivers as Fred Lorenzen, Richard Petty, and Rusty Wallace.  It was the 30th victory of his career.

Despite the success of the Hendrick “Car of Tomorrow” cars, Gordon is still not sold on the car that will be used in all races in 2008.

“I’m still not a fan of this car,” Gordon said.  Put me back in 26th place in this car and I’m going to have a hard time passing that 25th place car.  Something has to be done to the cars or the tracks.”

Johnson moved to within 53 points of Gordon, gaining 15 today.  Gordon’s lead is now 153 over third-place Clint Bowyer, making it essentially a three-man race.  Fourth place
Tony Stewart is now 249 points behind and fifth place Carl Edwards is 288 behind with five races to go.

It became an interesting day for car owner Rick Hendrick.  He traveled between the pits of all of his cars all day, being very careful not to show favoritism.  At one point, he was in Kyle Busch’s No. 5 car and was asked what he would do the rest of the race.

“When Kyle gets to third place, “Hendrick said, “I probably go to the 25 pit.”

What makes Johnson so successful at Martinsville?

“I have no clue,” Johnson said.  “The first time I came here I was running over the curbs, but Chad (crew chief Chad Knaus) has helped me figure out what to do.”

So the NEXTEL Cup circuit now moves on to Atlanta Motor Speedway where the next chapter unfolds, but Johnson had a warning to all of his Chase competitors.  "This thing's not over yet," Johnson said.

Brothers Racing Team Sweep Top Two at Hickory ASA Race
HICKORY, N.C. – Teammates Beau Slocumb and John Wes Townley took their Zaxby’s/Coca-Cola/BB&T Fords to a one-two finish last night at Hickory Motor Speedway’s ASA Late Model Series feature race.

Slocumb and Townley headed the timesheets in final practice, then qualified second and seventh in time trials, just a handful of thousandths behind rookie Sean Murphy’s lap of 14.999 sec.

The race was a strange one, punctuated by a series record 18 cautions, beginning with a big lap five multi-car spin off the fourth turn, setting the stage for a night of strange happenings. (And no, the moon was not full!) A few caution periods later, about a fourth of the way into the race, Townley got pushed into the car in front of him, bending up the hood on the No. 09 Ford and sending the team into a blur of activity as they taped down the bent pieces before sending the Watkinsville, Ga. High school student back to the battle in almost dead last position. “We started off and got things going, unfortunately we got involved in a caution that bowed our hood up,” he said after the race. “When you’re in the back, you got to be cautious, but you got to be racy at the same time.”

Slocumb drove steadily and smoothly, avoiding the spins and fuel woes that eventually eliminated early leader Jeff Choquette, who crashed in Turn Three with Colt James just after the race’s halfway point. Choquette eventually returned to the track, minus front fenders and hood, looking more like a Modified than a Late Model. The crash left the track’s third turn blocked, resulting in a brief red flag, not the last one of the evening.

Making the most of every caution and driving carefully enough to satisfy a driver’s ed instructor, Townley started recovering from the mishap. By lap 92, he was in sixth place and battling to get around the No. 8 driven by Michael Seeright. On lap 105, several more cautions later, Townley moved into fifth place. The final few laps of the race were punctuated by spins and the cleanup crew almost needing more oil dry delivered to the track after the No. 24 driven by David Rigan sprayed oil all the way around the track.

In the final few laps, two of the lead quintet kept being reduced, once when the leader got spun, and then when two more cars ran out of fuel during extended cautions to clean up spilled oil. The entire track got coated with gear lube, apparently from the No. 24 of David Rigan, eventually forcing ASA race director Ron Varney to end the race under caution, a rarity for this series.

“It ran great,” said Slocumb about his car, celebrating his third feature win of 2007. Slocumb won this race last year, missed the season-opener and now has a good shot at the season crown, should things go his way in the season closer next weekend at Birmingham, Ala.

Through all this, Townley kept things under control, right up to the final restart, when he spun the rear tires on a slick track, spinning the No. 09 Ford out. The slippery track proved the final straw for ASA officials, who restored the running order as of the final restart and declared the race over, awarding the win to Slocumb, second to Townley and third place to rookie championship leader, New Zealand native Michael Pickens. “We managed to work our way back up,” said Townley after the race. “Those guys running out of gas was just our luck. Beau did a great job; it’s been a great night for us.

“I told people, there’s nobody that’s going to make it through the first turn. There’s no way to get all the oil up. I tried to be a little softer on the throttle there but it wasn’t enough,” he explained.

The podium finish moved Townley into fourth in points for the ASA Late Model Series Southern Division, with a real chance to take third for the season after next week’s race.

The next race on the ASA Late Model Southern Series is scheduled for Saturday night, October 27, at Birmingham International Raceway in Birmingham, Ala. The race combines the North and South Divisions for a Challenge Division shootout-style race on Birmingham’s five-eighths mile track.

-XXX-

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The No. 18 Roadracingworld.com Suzuki SV1000S won the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series 8 Hours At Daytona Finale at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night while the No. 6 Aprilia USA squad locked up the Buell Motorcycle Company SuperSport Twins (SST) class despite a 13th place class finish.

 

Chris Ulrich of Lake Elsinore, Calif., Cory West of Vista, Calif. and England’s Gary Mason shared the winning Suzuki, which completed the 234-lap race 25.838 secs. ahead of the No. 46 San Jose BMW BMW R1200S shared by Brian Parriott of Calistoga, Calif., Atlanta rider Nate Kern and Richard Cooper of England.

 

“This is just so fantastic for the team,” said Ulrich, who also won the second round of the SunTrust MOTO-ST Series at Homestead-Miami Speedway. “The drive home is going to be a lot better. I knew Cory could do it, and I knew Gary Mason could do it. When you’ve won at Daytona you’ve really done something.”

 

The No. 6 Aprilia Tuono 1000R started from pole and was in the thick of the lead battle early in the race. But at the one-hour mark Ben Thompson of Anchorage crashed in turn 1 soon after taking over from lead rider Ty Howard. The Aprilia was able to resume after repairs were made but just past the three-hour mark Henry Wiles crashed the Tuono and the bike was retired. The No. 6 Aprilia finished the season with 187 points to the 159 of the No. 69 RightsForBikers.com Suzuki team.

 

“This isn’t the way I expected to be up here,” said Howard at the presentation of the championship trophy. “We put it all on the line today but it didn’t quite work out for us. “In an eight-hour event it doesn’t matter who’s fastest, it’s who crosses the line first at the end of those eight hours.”

 

The No. 18 Suzuki team spent most of the race battling with the No. 46 BMW. Mason took the lead for the last time when he beat the BMW out of the pits during a full course caution period on lap 174. The No. 46 BMW stayed close until just over 45 minutes from the end of the race, when Cooper collided with another bike on the infield portion of the course. Cooper was able to pick up the bike and continue but the BMW had suffered damage, including a torn front fender. Parriott took over the final stint but steadily lost ground to the Suzuki.

 

“Our ride had really been problem free,” Parriott said. “We had what it took to win, but after what happened I was just happy to bring it home.”

 

The No. 69 RightsForBikers.com Suzuki SV1000S of Mark Crozier (Palm Coast, Fla.) and Nathan Dressman (Berkley (Mich.) placed fourth overall. The No. 33 Vallely Racing Suzuki SV1000S shared by Frank Trombino (Kleinburg, Ont.), David Loikits (Northampton, Penn.) and Matthew McBride (Mississauga, Ont.) was fifth in the race and claimed third in the final standings with 149 points.

 

Aprilia USA rider Troy Green of Dallas won the SST Rider championship with 179 points.

 

The No. 77 Touring Sport Ducati Ducati Supersport 1000DS of two-time World Superbike champion Doug Polen (Camarillo, Calif.), Peter Friedland (Columbia, S.C.) and Frank Shockley (Greenville, S.C.) survived a broken clutch with 20 minutes to go to win the BMW GrandSport Twins (GST) class and beat out the No. 8 Richie Morris Racing Buell squad to the Team title, 188-183. Shockley also took the Rider points title.

 

The No. 8 Buell of Shawn Higbee (Oconomonoc, Wis.), Dan Bilansky (Waukesha, Wis.) and Clint Brotz (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) was running third in the early going but lost time when it threw its chain just past the three-hour mark and eventually finished eighth in class.

 

“Everything was flawless the whole race until those last 20 minutes,” Friedland said. “I guess it was too good to be true, but that’s racing. Doug Polen helped us get out front and that was our strategy, to get a good lead straightaway.”

 

The No. 89 RightsForBikers.com Ducati PS1000LE of John Linder (Tampa, Fla.), Chris Boy (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and Jason Edmonds (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished second after closing up a three-lap gap to the No. 77 Ducati when it hit trouble. The No. 70 James Gang Racing Buell XB12 of Paul James (Waukesha, Wis.), Jeffrey Johnson (Minneapolis, Minn.) and Walt Sipp (Kansas City, Mo.) completed the top three.

 

The No. 9 Pair-A-Nines Kawasaki team clinched the Sport Twins Team title at Daytona despite suffering a blown engine on its Kawasaki EX650 while leading the class by a lap. The team had enough of an advantage that it was still classified seventh and beat the Go Big Racing Suzuki team, which finished second in the race, by five points in the standings, 187-182.

 

The No. 79 Suzuki SV650 of Ross Millson (Hamilton, Ont.), Karl Daigle (Granby, Que.) and Paul Glenn (Keene, Ont.) took over the lead when the No. 9 Kawasaki broke but Daigle crashed in turn 1 with only 10 minutes remaining. That allowed the No. 87 SpeedWerks.com Suzuki SV650 of Hawk Mazzotta (Carmel Valley, Calif.), Scott Ryan (Lemant, Ill.) and Brian Kcraget (Danville, Va.) to claim the race win.

 

“It was definitely a surprise,” said Kcraget, who was coming back from serious injuries suffered at the previous event in July. “We had some bad luck at the beginning of the race but we were able to battle back. To be on top at Daytona is a little better ending than I had to my last race.”

 

The No. 66 M4 Avteq Racing Suzuki SV650 of Russ Wikle (Huntsville, Ala.), Kyle Martin (Dallas, Tex.) and Ryan O’Donnell (Dallas, Tex.) finished second, three laps behind the winners, while the No. 79 Suzuki was classified third.

 

Jay Springsteen and Jimmy Filice from the No. 9 Kawasaki team tied for first place in the ST Rider standings with 187 points each.

 

MOTO-ST president Roger Edmondson announced at the Riders Meeting on Friday plans for a six to eight race 2008 season, beginning back at Daytona International Speedway in March.

 

The SunTrust MOTO-ST Series is organized and sanctioned by Professional Motorsports Productions (PMP) of Toronto, Ontario, Canada and the Grand American Road Racing Association (Grand-Am), based in Daytona Beach, Fla., provides the series with administrative and commercial support. Learn more about MOTO-ST at www.moto-st.com.

 

SAO PAULO, Brazil- For many people going into the final race here at the Interlagos track, the fight would be between the top two McLaren drivers Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso, the defending world driving champion. But there was an outsider who had the chance to win as well as the fact that he already had won five other races this season for his Ferrari team.
And that man was Kimi Raikkonen.
The Finn had an opportunity to win the race Sunday and hope that other rivals would finish in the lower grid positions and he would come from behind to win his first world title.
And believe it or not, that is exactly what he did. Raikkonen started from third position, worked his way past his Ferrari teammate Felipe Massa and with 21 laps to go took over the lead to win the Grand Prix of Brazil and with his competitors finishing too low for good points, captured his first world driving title, to win his sixth grand prix race and take the title by one point. It was the first time since the world driving championship began in 1950 that another Ferrari driver, Giuseppe Farina, who was third in points going into the final race, overcame the odds and went on to win the world championship.
“For sure we were not in the strongest position this season,” said Raikkonen, “but we could recover and we stuck with the hard times and reduced the gap and win the world championship.”
Things got crazy right at the start. Massa cut into front of Hamilton, blocking the Englishman chance to shoot out in front to the lead. Then Hamilton was passed by Alonso and turned to wide on the track, losing a few grid positions. The two Ferrari’s moved quickly out front and many behind could not keep up, considering the collision between Giancarlo Fisichella and Sakon Yamamoto, which brought out a local yellow for a couple of laps. On lap seven, Hamilton developed a clutch problem and despite managing to get the car back into gear, now fell back to 18th position.
As the race went along Massa held his lead as Mark Webber, Heikki Kovalainen and Rubens Barrichello had retirements.
With 21 laps left, Massa threw his Ferrari too wide and Raikkonen, who had been five seconds behind, suddenly got right behind his teammate. By the time the last pit stops occurred, Massa went first, then followed by Raikkonen. But the Finn’s last stop was much faster, and when Raikkonen pulled out of the long pit straight, he just got out in front of Massa and hung on to win the race and pull off the world championship ahead of both Hamilton and Alonso, who tied for second in the standings, by one single point.
Alonso grabbed third place in the race, followed by Nico Rosberg, who recorded his best ever finish in fourth. BMW Sauber drivers Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld were next in fifth and sixth, while Hamilton finished seventh, with Jarno Trulli taking the last point on the grid.
Raikkonen was happy but despite being stunned at what he just accomplished, thanks all the people who helped him out this season.
“Felipe (Massa) helped,” said the new world champion, “and the sponsors with Shell especially had worked with us on the fuel. I think we got a great start and I did not want to race to close with my teammate. I saw Lewis (Hamilton) pull off the track and I actually thought that we might have a chance to win.”