2BETDSI Sports News - Latest US and International Sporting News

Logano claims first Cup pole at Bristol

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:59:00 GMT

Logano, the 2009 Sprint Cup rookie of the year, posted a lap of 124.630 m.p.h. on the half-mile, high-banked track to record his first pole in his 44th start.

The 19-year-old is having a remarkable sophomore season so far in NASCAR's top circuit, as he currently sits 14th in points.

NASCAR tweaks format for all-star race

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:42:29 GMT

NASCAR officials made the announcement Tuesday at Charlotte Motor Speedway, where the all-star event will be held on May 22.

Starting this year, all drivers must pit for four tires once the field completes one lap behind the pace car prior to the start of the fourth segment.

NASCAR's March Madness begins with Bristol

Wed, 17 Mar 2010 13:26:56 GMT

After taking the first off-weekend of the season, the Sprint Cup Series will return to Bristol, and all eyes will be focused on Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski.

Edwards begins his three-race probation period at Bristol. The Roush Fenway Racing driver avoided suspension after he deliberately hit Keselowski from behind and sent him flying upside down into the frontstretch wall last week at Atlanta.

Teams test bigger plate, new spoiler at Talladega

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 17:53:11 GMT

While no announcement has been made yet, NASCAR is expected to replace the rear wing with the spoiler on the Car of Tomorrow (COT) prior to the April 25 Aaron's 499 at Talladega.

The wing has been a fixture of the COT since its debut three years ago at Bristol, where the series runs later this week. Teams have raised concerns about the wing, since it has reduced downforce on the cars. The spoiler was used on the previous cars.

This Week in Auto Racing March 19 - 21

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:32:23 GMT

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Food City 500 - Bristol Motor Speedway - Bristol, TN After taking the first off-weekend of the season, the Sprint Cup Series will return to Bristol, and all eyes will be focused on Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski.

This Week in Auto Racing March 12 - 14

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:49:03 GMT

IZOD INDYCAR SERIES Sao Paulo Indy 300 - Streets of Sao Paulo - Sao Paulo, Brazil The IndyCar Series -- with new title sponsor IZOD -- will compete in South America for the first time with the Sao Paulo Indy 300 on the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dario Franchitti also will begin his campaign to repeat as series champion. Franchitti ended the 2009 season with an 11-point margin over his Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon. Four of his five wins last year came on road/street courses.

NASCAR suspends crew members for substance abuse violation

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:33:03 GMT

According to a news release, William Keith, a crew member of the No.38 Front Row Motorsports/Yates Racing team in the Sprint Cup Series, and Matthew Huffstetler, a member of the No.01 Daisy Ramirez Motorsports team in the Camping World Truck Series, were found to have violated sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 19 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2010 NASCAR rule book.

NASCAR has suspended five crew members so far this season for violating its drug policy.

Edwards receives three-race probation for Atlanta incident

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:44:40 GMT

NASCAR President Mike Helton addressed the seriousness of the Edwards- Keselowski incident, in which Keselowski's car went flying upside down into the frontstretch wall after Edwards deliberately hit him from behind in the closing laps at Atlanta.

Helton also said NASCAR officials had several discussions internally as well as conversations with the stakeholders of the situation, including team owners Jack Roush (Edwards) and Roger Penske (Keselowski), before making their decision to place Edwards on probation for the upcoming races at Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix.

NASCAR needs to control on-going Edwards-Keselowski feud

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:47:31 GMT

Keselowski got his bell rung when Edwards intentionally bumped him from behind and sent his No.12 Penske Dodge flying upside down into the wall along the frontstretch at the fast 1.54-mile track.

Edwards was more than 150 laps behind at the time of the crash, due to a previous encounter with Keselowski earlier in the race. Keselowski clipped Edwards and shot him up to the track before he made contact with Joey Logano and then slammed into the wall.

Kurt Busch prevails in a wild one at Atlanta

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:43:44 GMT

Busch squeezed his way from fourth to first just after the first two-lap overtime restart. A seven-car pileup occurred just before the final lap when Jamie McMurray and Clint Bowyer made contact, forcing a second attempt to end the race. Busch held off Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya in the final two laps for his third victory at Atlanta and the 21st of his career.

Kenseth finished second, followed by Montoya, Kasey Kahne, who led the most laps with 143, and Paul Menard.

Earnhardt Jr. tops in qualifying at Atlanta

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:47:07 GMT

Earnhardt Jr.'s lap of 192.761 m.p.h. set a record for the fastest qualifying speed in the new Sprint Cup Series car -- the Car of Tomorrow. His Hendrick Motorsports teammate, Jimmie Johnson, held the record with a lap of 192.376 m.p.h. last October at Charlotte.

"It's really fast," Earnhardt Jr. said of his qualifying lap around the 1.54- mile track. "You just got to hang on. I think there's a lot of cars that can run that fast, but you just got to hang on to it." Earnhardt Jr.

Johnson on the right track heading to Atlanta

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:24:43 GMT

Since his disappointing 35th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson has soared to fifth in the points standings with consecutive victories at California and Las Vegas.

Johnson's win at California came with a little bit of luck. The four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion benefited from a late-race caution when he pitted just before the yellow flag was displayed. He then held off a hard- charging Kevin Harvick in the closing laps.

This Week in Auto Racing March 5 - 7

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 17:02:55 GMT

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Kobalt Tools 500 - Atlanta Motor Speedway - Hampton, GA Since his disappointing 35th-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Jimmie Johnson has soared to fifth in the points standings with consecutive victories at California and Las Vegas.

Earnhardt Jr. contributes $1M to Victory Junction camp

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:03:13 GMT

Corral and Amphitheater at Victory Junction -- a camp for children with serious illnesses.

Earnhardt Jr. revealed his contribution during the camp's kickoff of its "Keeping the Dream Alive" campaign. He plans to be at the camp on March 27 when groundbreaking begins on the project.

Patrick has much more to learn in NASCAR before her return

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:43:12 GMT

The Nationwide Series received more attention than ever during the month of February due to the hype surrounding Danica Patrick's foray into stock car racing. Now, it's back to the same ole humdrum for NASCAR's second-tier series until Patrick returns in four months at New Hampshire.

Without question, Patrick's first three Nationwide races have been a learning curve, but there's plenty more for the 27-year-old to study during her stock car crash course.

Johnson spoils Gordon's dominant day at Las Vegas

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:09:17 GMT

Jeff Gordon led a track-record 219 laps, but Gordon took two new tires only during his final pit stop. After putting on four tires, Johnson quickly chased down his Hendrick Motorsports teammate after a restart with 34 to go. Johnson finally passed him for the lead with 17 laps remaining and then cruised to his second consecutive victory. The four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion won last week at California.

"It came down to pit stops," Johnson said. "I thought the race was going to come down to pit stops and who got a good restart. Kind of turned out that way, although the four tires I think helped us more than anything." Johnson recorded his 49th career victory, which moved him up to 12th on the series' all-time race winners list. He also set a NASCAR record for most wins on a 1.5-mile track with 1

Kurt Busch takes pole at hometown Las Vegas

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 21:22:18 GMT

Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Kurt Busch captured the pole for Sunday's Shelby American by easily breaking the track qualifying record at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Busch, a native of Las Vegas, demolished the record previously held by his brother, Kyle Busch, when he turned a lap at 188.719 m.p.h. Cooler than usual temperatures at the 1.5-mile track helped 18 drivers surpass Busch's 2009 record of 185.995 m.p.h.

"It was an unexpected lap, but looking back at some of the decisions [crew chief] Steve Addington made...I'm following his direction on some of the key things that maybe I've been missing with the [Car of Tomorrow]," said Busch, whose last Sprint Cup Series pole came in September 2007 at California. "To get a pole with the COT, this is my first one with this car. It's been that long." Addington served as Kyle Busch's crew chief at Joe Gibbs Racing last season, but moved over to Penske Racing to guide Kurt Busch's effort for the 20

Crew member for No. 23 team in Nationwide Series suspended

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 17:27:29 GMT

Luna is the team's transport driver, second gas man and gas runner.

Sin City, here we come

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:14:51 GMT

One of the biggest stories so far in the early Sprint Cup Series season is the resurgence of Richard Childress Racing. No driver in the RCR stable finished better than 15th in points last year, in what was one of the most disappointing seasons in the organization's 39-year history. However, things quickly have changed, and team owner Richard Childress couldn't be more pleased to the start of a season than this one.

RCR's three drivers -- Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton -- have finished no worse than 11th in the first two races this season. After last Sunday's race at California, the trio are sitting in the top-

This Week in Auto Racing February 26 - 28

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:57:52 GMT

By Chris Symeon, Motorsports Editor Las Vegas, NV (Sports Network) - Cha-ching! Who will hit the jackpot in NASCAR this weekend when the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series roll into Las Vegas Motor Speedway?NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Shelby American - Las Vegas Motor Speedway - Las Vegas, NV One of the biggest stories so far in the early Sprint Cup Series season is the resurgence of Richard Childress Racing. No driver in the RCR stable finished better than 15th in points last year, in what was one of the most disappointing seasons in the organization's 39-year history. However, things quickly have changed, and team owner Richard Childress couldn't be more pleased to the start of a season than this one.

RCR storming out of the gate

Mon, 22 Feb 2010 17:40:10 GMT

All three of RCR's drivers -- Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton -- have finished no worse than 11th in the first two races of 2010. Team owner Richard Childress couldn't be more pleased about the start of a season, with Harvick leading in points, Bowyer in second (-19) and Burton fifth (-31).

Harvick easily could have begun the year at 2-0. He held the lead for the final restart in the Daytona 500, but eventual race winner Jamie McMurray got a friendly bump from Greg Biffle to move in front with less than two laps to go. Then at California, Harvick lost a spirited battle with Jimmie Johnson for the win after brushing the wall in the final laps.

Johnson right at home with another California win

Sun, 21 Feb 2010 19:23:20 GMT

Johnson, the four-time defending Sprint Cup Series champion, benefited from a late-race caution when he made his final stop just before the yellow flag waved for an accident involving Brad Keselowski. He avoided falling a lap behind when he crossed the line ahead of then race-leader Jeff Burton to start the caution period. Johnson took the lead for good with 24 laps to go when Burton and the remainder of the leaders pitted for the last time.

Kevin Harvick chased down Johnson in the closing laps, but Harvick scraped the wall and ended up finishing 1.5 seconds behind. Burton was third.

Daytona 500 champion McMurray takes pole at California

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 21:00:03 GMT

That's how the reigning Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray is right now after winning Friday's Sprint Cup Series qualifying at Auto Club Speedway.

McMurray, who was the 25th driver to make his attempt in the 46-car qualifying field, turned a lap around the two-mile oval at 183.744 m.p.h. for his fourth career Cup pole, but his first since June 2007 at Sonoma, CA.

With Daytona in the rear-view mirror, now it's California

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:38:03 GMT

Slowly but surely, Jamie McMurray has realized his victory in last Sunday's Daytona 500 wasn't a dream. It's real, and he's enjoying every minute of it.

More than six hours after the start of the Daytona 500, McMurray joyfully hoistedthe famed Harley J.

This Week in Auto Racing February 19 - 21

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:26:53 GMT

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Auto Club 500 - Auto Club Speedway - Fontana, CA Slowly but surely, Jamie McMurray has realized his victory in last Sunday's Daytona 500 wasn't a dream. It's real, and he's enjoying every minute of it.

More than six hours after the start of the Daytona 500, McMurray joyfully hoisted the famed Harley J. Earl Trophy in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. McMurray endured lengthy delays for potholes that surfaced on the track, survived a crash-filled affair in the closing laps and held off a hard-charging Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the final lap.