Gillett Evernham Motorsports

In a story that dominated Twitter all day, Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) almost didn't get to go to Phoenix Raceway.

According to multiple sources, Roush-Fenway Racing, who supplies RPM with the chassis and motors, was holding RPM's cars this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway due to lack of payment. If payment had not been received in time, the trailers were set to head back to the shop and not appear at Phoenix.

However, George Gillett made the required payment and the trailers have since started their trip out west.

Following some financial miscues within the team, Gillett's future was in question. Gillett met with Jack Roush before Martinsville Speedway to discuss the terms of their agreement and that was supposed to clear up questions regarding running the entire speedway.

Roush told SpeedTV.com writer Tom Jensen during the Martinsville weekend that strict re-negotiated terms were agreed upon in the meeting and Gillett was instructed to make sure he made the payments on time or else they would hold the cars.

With the team beginning to fall down the toilet, reports continue to show that Richard Petty is trying to buy out the rest of the team from George Gillett, with help from Ray Everingham.

Sources report that Petty is getting close to closing the deal as he tries to align a group of investors. 

According to Sporting News, Petty owns four percent of the team. The only car that equates to his ownership as per NASCAR’s list of owners is the No. 43 car, while George Gillett owns the No. 9, No. 19 and No. 98 cars.

Sources told Fox Sports last month that Petty met with Toyota principals and Michael Waltrip Racing at Martinsville on Sunday, with meetings continuing into the following week.

This would not be the first time that Petty has teamed up with Toyota, as RPM ran Toyotas during part of the 2009 season. However, that deal was cut short because Toyota could not match the amount RPM wanted and as a result, they went to Ford.

"I've been here since 1949 and I'm going to be here till they run me off,” Richard Petty told ESPN Sunday at Martinsville.

The only problem for Petty in trying to secure something is that the deal currently lacks a sponsor. The only sponsor signed within the entire RPM organization is Stanley Tools, rumored to be worth $10 million, with Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9.

Negotiations are reportedly still continuing between RPM and Best Buy to see if they will return to the fold with A.J. Allmendinger.

In a story that has been continued to be followed since the release of Kasey Kahne last week, it looks like there are a lot of developments towards what might take place from this weekend and into the future.

NASCAR RaceHub reported Tuesday that Richard Petty Motorsports much less may not be able to make it to Talladega Superspeedway this weekend, much less next year. However, it was announced Wednesday that they’d be at Talladega.

With the Petty name being known in the sport and not a name that many would like to see go, Richard Petty is now working at staying in the sport.

According to Sporting News, Petty owns four percent of the team. The only car that equates to his ownership as per NASCAR’s list of owners is the No. 43 car, while George Gillett owns the No. 9, No. 19, and No. 98.

Sources told Fox Sports that Petty met with Toyota principals and Michael Waltrip Racing at Martinsville on Sunday, with meetings continuing into this week. Could an alignment be made between Petty and Michael Waltrip to salvage the No. 43 team in this deal?

The only problem for Petty in trying to secure something is that the deal lacks a sponsor as no sponsor has signed yet.

The only sponsor signed within the entire RPM organization is Stanley Tools, rumored to be worth $10 million, with Marcos Ambrose and the No. 9. Negotiations are reportedly still continuing between RPM and Best Buy to see if they’re return to the fold with A.J. Allmendinger.

The other two cars are expected not to run next year as Budweiser has gone to Richard Childress Racing with Kevin Harvick and Menards followed Paul Menard on to his new deal.

This would not be the first time that Petty has teamed with Toyota as RPM ran Toyotas during part of the 2009 season. That deal cut shot as Toyota could not match the amount RPM wanted and they went to Ford. With this deal falling apart and possibly this being the King’s only solution, could this deal come together again?

"I've been here since 1949 and I'm going to be here till they run me off,” Richard Petty told ESPN Sunday at Martinsville.

Jack Roush, who leases chassis and motors to RPM told ESPN that Petty was working on getting investors together to get controlling interest of the team; however, Petty did not comment about that.

"I haven't got anything to tell you except speculation on somebody else's part and my part and that ain't going to get anybody anywhere," Petty said. "When we do get all of it together we'll get it together.”

The only problem with trying to gain investors is that it may be a tough toll for Petty to accomplish as not many people would be willing to invest money in something that looks to be failing. With how tight the economy is, people are now more weary of their money and are finding ways to spend it carefully, no matter how much they have.

Gillett is also trying to keep himself within the sport as Gillett is actively seeking investors. Sporting News reports that their sources say Gillett has hired Gordian Group, a New York-based investment bank, to assist them in their search. He also has FTI Consulting, a global consultancy specializing in corporate finance, working on finding investors, through the bank that lent Gillett the money to buy the team.

Sporting News goes on to report Gillett, who owns as much as 70 percent of the team, defaulted on it’s roughly $90 million loan last February. Sirius Speedway reports that he still owes $70 million to Wachovia Bank, while still making payments to Ray Evernham for the purchase from him. Evernham told Sirius Speedway that Gillett is up-to-date in his payments.

The sale of Liverpool FC was suppose to help Gillett restructure it; however, it sold for a amount far less than expected causing some of these strains.

To try to put some of the pieces together, Gillett sold his stock in the companies that operate the Northstar-At-Tahoe Ski Resort in Vail Resorts on Tuesday, which is worth $63 million as according to Sirius Speedway.

In the end, this looks to be boiling down to a situation where somebody who knew nothing about racing thought he could throw some money in and make something happen. In reality, he once again is another example of someone who should have done this homework first.

With how this boiling down, it’s only a matter of time for when Gillett is done in the sport. Hopefully he does not take one of the sport’s biggest names, Petty, down with him.

Even before Richard Petty officially told the Roanoke Times that they'd be going with a two-car operation I long had plans to write an article in support of the team.

Last week I wrote an article comparing NASCAR 1996 to NASCAR of today and how much the sport has changed, and changed for the worst.

Among the reasons for this change was NASCAR's blatant abandonment of the South and its countless race fans.

At the forefront of this national Southern decline is the parrell decline of Richard Petty Motorsports.

Much like when Dale Earnhardt Incorporated (DEI) was around, I cannot understand why all the best drivers and sponsors don't want to race for, and financially support this team. If you don't want to race for Richard Petty nor do you want to support Petty as a sponsor, something is wrong with your sport.

Its these two teams that should be the Hendrick Motorsports' and Roush-Fenway Racing of its day. The latter are the two most victorious Cup teams and their success is the same vision shared by all teams, Petty and now-rebranded Earnhardt-Ganassi alike.

The reason RPM fails is the same reason Jeffrey Earnhardt cannot find a "real" ride having to settle for Rick Ware Racing on an inconsistent basis. All the time I hear from friends "If you put the kid in top equipment you would see what he could do" or "then we'd see what he could do (or not do)" but as it is now, with second tier equipment at best, he like so many others struggles just to find and keep a ride.

Why?

Musical Chairs: The Music Stopped and they were left standing

Richard Petty Motorsports has been through a lot in recent years. From moving from its original shop in Level Cross, North Carolina where as I understand it, for example, sometimes it was hard finding people who wanted to work for them since they were located way out in the middle of the Carolina backwoods.

As one of the last teams to make the move to the Charlotte hub (AKA NASCAR's unofficial headquarters beyond Dayona's official stop) they faced a disadvantage from the beginning.

Then, while still Petty Enterprises, there was the failed Boston Venture's merger.

I remember watching with anticipation, the ESPN NASCAR Now! one-hour special from Randleman, North Carolina, where King Richard himself was interviewed boastfully speaking with obvious excitement on how this day, was going to be a new one for the company. Also, how he did it essentially to get on a level playing field with the rest of the bigger teams in the sport who had merged with a big-name corporation for financial support.

Roush Racing has Boston Red Sox owner John Henry are ghost-writing checks. Petty wanted and needed to do the same since Joe Gibbs and Rick Hendrick don't need the same type of corporate subsidy to survive.

You could tell it was a sad day, but a necessary day. I, like Boston Ventures, owner of the Six Flags theme parks, and National Enquirer among other smaller endeavors, wanted to get the team back in Victory Lane and I believed they would, sooner not later.

Bobby Labonte, with his championship experience and provisional in his back pocket signed on in 2008 bringing credibility to the team and hope; only to ask out a year later when the merger fell through. He lost his primary and longtime lucrative sponsor of the team, General Mills, who as we found out shortly after, went to Richard Childress Racing.

With no marquee driver, and the loss of income from the best sponsor they had, in short, the team merged with George Gillette of then Montreal Candian National Hockey League fame, to form a new Gillette Evernham Motorsports. This would quickly, and I mean quickly, change to the more marketable Richard Petty Motorsports team it enjoys today.

Team Downsizes but is it a bad thing?

Why do I like RPM? Not only are they Southern based and Southern owed (at its core with Petty as a figurehead owner), but more importantly, they are a reminder of yesteryear when NASCAR teams didn't just throw four cars out there for the sake of keeping up with the Hendrick's and Roush's.

If you read the second link on this page where I wrote the second of a two-part series on NASCAR in 1996- the last year it was as close to perfect as it could be without actually being the 1970's, when NASCAR was at its height. You will see that with the exception of Hendrick's three car outlier operation and two car team of Robert Yates Racing, every other team had only one car. I am a fan of smaller race teams (note, not too small, start-and-park-ers, you still have to honestly try).

We watched for years as someone did their best to drive the No. 43 while Kyle Petty drove the No. 45 in honor of his son Adam who died in 2000. It was here that Kyle kept saying he drove the car in memory of his son and to further promote the Victory Junction Gang among other notable causes.

While other teams changed and merged, and got bigger and sold out, Petty Enterprises didn't and we all understood why and accepted it.

This year RPM has already lost "star" driver in the overrated Kasey Kahne, whose boyish GQ looks will fit in perfectly with HMS "Hollywood Motor Sports" as I call his new found brood.

True, this surprisingly marketable, but inconsistent driver was the face of the team since they lacked any other real star quality. However, Elliott Sadler could pitch some Stanley and Best Buy product back in the day as well and for some reason, his sponsors seemed to be loyal to him despite not winning.

No matter.

Sadler will soon find himself either in the Nationwide or Camping World Truck series where someone of his talents would be better suited and where he can actually compete for titles and wins on a consistent basis. I think he could be the next Mike Skinner who similarly couldn't cut it at the Cup level but who found later success in the second and third tier circuits.

Finally, the team smartly cut ties with silver-spoon self-made millionaire Paul Menard, whose daddy owns a series of midwest-based hardware stores that bears the family name and whom sponsors his rides. With guaranteed sponsorship money comes a guaranteed ride. Must be nice.

While critics will note the loss of income to a cash-strapped team isn't smart, by not having to waste any more time and effort in a driver like Menard who also clearly belongs in a lower division evident by his current fifth place points standings compared to 23rd in Cup, the team can focus on the two drivers it has and make them better on a weekly basis.

So who do they have, exactly?

The team just re-signed A.J. Allmindinger, who finished 2008 very well for Team Red Bull, only to be given his walking papers in order to make room for another Californian in Scott Speed, who likely will also find himself without a Cup ride. As a cruel twist of fate, Kahne will have his spot next year, but only for that year before he goes to Team GQ (Hendrick Motorsports).

Why does Allmindinger matter? He's 22nd in points right now, which doesn't look good on the surface until you consider he's a streaky driver, unlike Millionaire-Menard, who brings nothing short of cash, to the table. This streak caused many fans to wonder why Allmindinger wasn't getting a ride post-2008 after finishing six of the last eight races with top 16 finishes for a similar two car team.

Many, myself included, thought he deserved a contract extension right then and there. After all, A.J.'s done and seen it all. From not qualifying some events in 2007 and 2008 to finding sporadic sponsorship similar to Travis Kvapil by the name of Hunt's Pizza, to a road course background, the kid had paid his dues.

The problem is what to do with Allmindinger. He's not very good on an oval but his qualifying has been getting better starting out on average 18th position this year, easily a career best. He's also won a pole and led the most laps of his short career.

So why do you get him?

Potential?

No.

I think Richard Petty Motorsports knows they don't want to see him flourish with another team should he be let go and he is good for one thing: Road course racing.

Why does this matter?

Ask Boris Said what one win can do for you and your career. RPM has to know they are taking a step backward next year with no Kahne but rebounded very nicely in singing Allmindinger and new teammate Marcos Ambrose.

At least we know they'll be competitive in two races: Watkins Glen and Sonoma. With any luck, they may be able to notch two top five's with one (Amborse) a real threat to bring home a win. If you told RPM they would have a really good shot at two wins next year, as they clearly will with these two drivers and these two tracks, don't you think they'd take it?

After all, it beats what they have now and next year should be much more cost efficient.

Ambrose Signing a Big Deal

Not only were there rumors of the Tasmanian driver going back to Australia to race, but with his signing the team assured themselves of being competitive for at least two races but they proved to skeptics that they are a free agent destination.

As one of those spectators who is surprised RPM has managed to last this long, they proved to me that drivers still recognize them as being a legit signing point.

Consider, they needed to replace up to three drivers in a single offseason. If not Ambrose then who?

Considering the circumstances, I think they did very well for themselves.

Rumors have it that Stanley/Best Buy will stay with the organization, although it is unclear to which driver they will sponsor. That has to be considered a big save since Best Buy as I understand it, is one of the better in the sport.

Ambrose, who made his name with Ford, gets to return to the make that made his name. That can't be under-estimated and has to be seen as some kind of wildcard for 2011 if all goes well.

Additionally, you have to understand from Ambrose's standpoint, while having a down year statistically this year, long term he's actually moving up to a more stable organization, from the single car JTG Daugherty Racing team that which he's leaving.

Finally, he's excited, likely again because a bigger team means more attention and more opportunities to be competitive.

Think how good he did at tiny JTG-Daugherty. Imagine what could do at RPM next year.

Sure, you could take it one step further and say the same thing, only greater, should he be a 4th car at Gibbs or Childress, where Menard went.

Then again, more time and effort would be split among larger crews and resources meaning he'd likely have to settle for 4th best which is what Menard will find out next year.

In all, we'll see how good it works. If they need any more inspiration, they should look for two-car team Red Bull as inspiration. I wish them the best of luck. They will need it and our support going at it alone in a world of four car conglomerates.

If America truly loves and underdog, their search should start and end here as far as the world of NASCAR is concerned.

Information and Statistics from ESPN.com, The Roanoke Times, Jayski, Fanhouse.com, Wikipedia, and SceneDaily directly contributed to the content of this article.

Last week, I debuted the first article of the Spotters’ Series, featuring Joey Meier, spotter for Brad Keselowski.

This week’s article will feature Brett Griffin, spotter for Elliott Sadler. Griffin started spotting for Sadler back in 2000 at Wood Brothers and has been with him ever since.

Ashley McCubbin : How many years have you been spotting?

Brett Griffin : I did a couple of races in 2000 with the Wood Brothers and Elliott. The full time spotter had something come up and Eddie Wood handed me a headset and said you're spotting today.

I feared for my life but it all worked out pretty good in both races. Next thing you know, Elliott asked me during the offseason of 2000 to start spotting for him full time. And, I've been spotting full time since 2001. So, this is my 10th season up on the roof!

AM : What do you think makes a good spotter? Any certain requirements/recommendations?

BG : It's easy: SAY WHAT YOU SEE! Some folks are good at it and some aren't. Or, maybe I should say some folks pay close attention to what's going on out there and some don't.

I'm not really of the opinion that we can help the driver go faster but I am of the opinion that if we don't give them important information it can screw up their day pretty quickly.

 

 

AM : Best and Worst tracks for spotting at?

BG : Best tracks are Daytona, Talladega, Bristol, and Martinsville. Four hours flies by at all of those tracks.

I usually don't talk about the worst tracks but I'll give them to you, too. Worst tracks are Pocono and Phoenix. Pocono is a huge track so the cars are always a long, long ways away from us and the angles are difficult to help the drivers. It's not a bad track just a tough place for us to really help the drivers.

Phoenix, on the other hand, there's not one good thing I can say about the spotters' stand or the view where we stand. We can't see the bottom of turns three and four and the cars are constantly coming directly at us or going away from us which makes the depth perception very difficult. You may or may not think it's a big deal but I'd be willing to bet you most of the "BIG" wrecks at Phoenix happen in turns three and four or on restarts. Does where the spotters' stand is located play a role in that? Possibly.

AM : What do you think of the criticisms that spotters get immediately when it comes to incidents?

BG : I love it. Someone has to get the blame, right? If it wasn't for them throwing us under the bus no one would know we even exist. The problem is they never ask us about it during the broadcasts. What I think is even funnier is when TV says something about the spotters and whether or not we're doing a good job.

Then they show a video clip with a delayed audio clip which makes us look like a bunch of incompetent goons. Oh well, what can you do???

AM : How do you get along with the other spotters?

BG : In the Cup series 99 percent of the guys on the roof are good at what they do. In other series, I'd say half. The spotter’s job has changed a lot over the last 10 years. We have a team radio, a NASCAR radio, and a private radio.

That's a lot of radios to manage and listen to all at the same time. I wouldn't say I'm ready to go be a traffic controller or anything but that's a lot of moving pieces.

AM : What's the hardest part about your job?

BG : Getting to victory lane before the photos have ended. The crews and drivers get there way before we can so when we win it's tough sometimes to make it down in time for the whole celebration.

Seriously, just getting a good sense of trust between the driver and spotter is all you can ask for. If that trust isn't there, then the driver isn't going to trust the spotter and trust me, we know what we're saying and we can tell whether or not the driver is listening. I've worked for Elliott for 10 years and been his spotter the entire time. I definitely feel like our off the track relationship helps our relationship on race day.

AM: During the race, in general, what is your job?

BG: Make no mistake about it. Our number one priority is to keep the driver safe. That's a pretty big statement when you think about it. 200-plus mph and our main priority is to keep them safe. The competition side of the sport has started to lean on us way more than it used to, especially at restrictor plate tracks.

AM: When it comes to pit stops, what does your job entail?

BG: If it's a long yellow it usually entails finding a restroom. We don't get bathroom breaks so you gotta go when you can.

As far as the actual process of coming down pit road and pitting it's pretty simple. Get the driver onto pit road as safe as possible, get him off pit road as safe as possible and remind him of various procedures so we don't incur any penalties such as pit road speed, proper blend lines, etc. We also try and pay attention to who is getting two tires, four tires, gas only, etc.

The crew chief typically talks the driver into the pit box from about 10 away and clears them back into traffic. So, when a driver wrecks on pit road getting into or out of their pit stall, don't listen to the TV broadcast folks who blame that one on us. That's all crew chief-driver communication!

AM: If you have worked with different drivers, what are some certain things that one driver prefers over another?

BG: I've worked with Elliott Sadler in the Cup Series since 2000 but I've helped other drivers such as Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Michael Waltrip, Dale Jarrett, Kevin Harvick, Trevor Bayne, and many others in the Nationwide Series and Truck Series.

It's tough to jump in and spot one race for a guy and nail it because you don't know a lot about the team synergy. What I mean by that is you don't know what info the driver wants versus who may be expected to give it to him.

But, knock on wood, I've never had any major problems spotting for other drivers. It's all about giving pertinent information in short, concise statements the drivers can understand and use to their benefit. It's not rocket science.

AM: What do you do if you ever have to go to the bathroom in the middle of a race?

BG: I hope for a long yellow or red flag but hope that Elliott isn't the cause of it. Vegas has restrooms on the roof which is nice. I think that's the only track that does.

AM: What do you do before the race, food/drink wise, to prepare?

BG: Most of the time Elliott has grilled chicken and brown rice before the race. I pretty much eat whatever he's having unless it's those damn green peas. And before the race starts I like to have a Coke on ice. Great taste and a great energy boost to get me ready for 500 miles.

With just 89 points separating seventh through 14th in the points and two races remaining before the Chase field is set, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series' 43 best drivers prepared for a clash in Atlanta for the Pep Boys Auto Parts 500.

Martin Truex, Jr. won his second pole of 2009 with a speed of 184.149 and Kasey Kahne led the field to the green flag at 7:49 local time.

Truex, Jr. jumped out to an early lead while Kahne battled side by side with Johnson before pulling away. On the outside, the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge of Kurt Busch tried to make a move on the No. 48.

Juan Pablo Montoya, who started 22nd, wasted little time in his quest to pick up positions, making it three wide on lap four with Kevin Harvick and Michael Waltrip. Four laps later he split the cars of David Gilliland and David Ragan to move to the 17th position.

The No. 44 of A.J. Allmendinger was also making headway threw the pack, gaining ten spots to 25th in the first 10 laps of the race.

By lap 21, the leader Truex, Jr. began looking like Kevin Harvick did in Saturday night's Nationwide event, pulling out to an over eight second lead over second place Kahne.

"Whatever you've done, you've flipped the switch to pull away, nice job," he told crew chief Kevin Manion.

Clint Bowyer was on the other end of the spectrum; the No. 33 Cheerios Chevrolet dropped from it's 20th place starting spot to 37th and off the lead lap in 32 laps.

The day's first caution came out on lap 37 when Sam Hornish, Jr. went sliding into the infield. Chase hopeful Matt Kenseth was the recipient of the lucky dog after being lapped just before Hornish's spin.

"On lap five or six, I drove into (turn) one, and that time it didn't hit the splitter. Frickin turned sideways & pasted fence," Kenseth told his crew. The damage to the side of his car caused him to lose a lap.

The leaders hit pit road a lap later, with Kahne beating Truex, Jr. off pit road. Gordon, Johnson, Kyle Busch, Hamlin, Vickers, Martin, Kurt Busch, and Montoya rounded out the top ten.

On lap 42 Kahne, choosing the outside lane, led the field to the green but was quickly passed by Truex as Johnson and Busch battled two behind him for position. Kahne's own side by side battle with Gordon, which he lost on lap 43, allowed Truex, Jr. to pull out to a substantial lead once again.

Third, fourth and fifth went three wide as Busch passed the Hendrick teammates of Gordon and Johnson on lap 44.

On lap 60, Gordon had slipped back to 15th saying he couldn't "believe it can be this bad."

The No. 77 Mobil One Dodge of Hornish, Jr. once again spun in the infield bringing out the day's second caution on lap 61. Part of his tire was also on track. Scott Speed was the lucky dog.

The leaders once again came down pit road the following lap, with Kyle Busch winning that battle off of pit road. Truex, Kahne, Johnson, Hamlin, Martin, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorenson, and Carl Edwards made up the top ten.

Choosing the inside lane, Busch led the field to the restart on lap 65. While Hamlin, Kahne and Johnson went three wide behind him, Busch was able to pull away from Truex, Jr. and the rest of the field.

Johnson made a challenge for the lead on lap 72, trying to make a move to the outside. He was able to lead lap 73, and completed the pass as the two entered turn two.

On lap 83 the night's third caution came out when the No. 99 of Edwards had a hole in the oil pan, dropping oil on track and on pit road. Edwards, who broke his foot Wednesday playing Frisbee, was running a special paint scheme created by a 13 year old cancer patient.

Clint Bowyer was the recipient of the lucky dog, and the leaders came down pit road on lap 84. Another lead change as Kyle Busch once again won the race off pit road. Johnson, Truex, Hamlin, Stewart, Kahne, Busch, Montoya, and Gordon won the race off pit road. During the caution, Kenseth stayed out an extra lap to gain five bonus points.

Again on the inside, Busch led the field to the green on lap 87. Johnson began falling back as Truex made a pass for second. His teammate Gordon, meanwhile, made a pass for fith on lap 90, working his way back up.

In his first Atlanta start, rookie Joey Logano was having a strong top twenty run, running 18th on lap 92. The last caution's lucky dog Bowyer ran 29th.

Truex, Jr. once again took the lead on lap 98, when he dove to the inside of the Kyle Busch. Meanwhile, Johnson made a challenge for second.

Sorenson, Montoya, Harvick, Kurt Busch, and Brian Vickers had their own battled, all racing for spots ninth threw 12th. On lap 104 Montoya made it three wide, passing Harvick and Vickers in the middle.

Caution came out that same night for Max Papis in the No. 13 Geico Toyota, who made heavy contact with the wall. Kyle Busch once again won the race off pit road, leading Truex, Johnson, Hamlin, and Stewart. Gordon, Kurt Busch, Martin, Vickers, and David Stremme rounded out that round's top ten. Robby Gordon was awarded the free pass.

Michael Waltrip stayed out to lead a lap, but it was Busch who once again led the field to the green flag on lap 110. He chose the outside line, and teammate Hamlin rocketed past Truex, Jr. to get on the rear bumper of his teammate.

Getting the No. 18 loose, Hamlin made a pass for the lead as the two entered turn four, and completed the pass before they hit the start finish line.

Truex continued to lose spots, being passed by the Hendrick cars of Gordon and Johnson on lap 116. After making the pass on Truex, Jr., Johnson passed the No. 24 and began to pull away.

On lap 117 the No. 33 of Bowyer reported a loose wheel to his team and came down pit road. He would lose a lap to the leaders.

Johnson began looking to challenge for the lead, taking the lead on lap 128. He was quick to pull out to over a second lead.

The lead quickly evaporated, though, when a debris caution came out on lap 131. Jeff Burton, who had fallen back to 29th also had problems and made a pit stop.

Gordon was the winner on pit road followed by Hamlin, Kyle Busch, Johnson, Stewart, Montoya, Kurt Busch, Logano, Vickers, Martin. Elliot Sadler was the lucky dog.

On the outside, Gordon led the field to the restart on lap 136, but was met with a side by side battle with Hamlin before Hamlin took the lead. The top 10 became single file until rookie Logano and Montoya began racing side by side for sixth.

Gordon made a pass for the lead on lap 140, but Hamlin wasn't far behind.

Harvick, meanwhile, had an angry exchange with his pit crew after losing six spots on pit road as he raced Newman for 14th.

"I can't even get excited about coming on pit road. Definitely can't win a race like this. I guess I'm talking to myself!" he screamed over his radio. He was calmed by crew chief Gil Martin, who told him the team would "get our (expletive) together."

Martin's driver wasted little time on track, racing his way to 10th by lap 154 after the lap 136 restart.

The No. 42 of Montoya also continued making up ground, as he ran fourth on lap 149. The EGR Chevrolet was the same car the team ran in their dominant Brickyard 400 performance in July.

While Earnhardt, Jr. made a pass on teammate Johnson up ahead, Harvick blazed past cars left and right, running third and quickly gaining on second place Hamlin on lap 164. Both Hamlin and Harvick were both making their way toward the leader Gordon.

Hamlin took the lead on lap 167 but Harvick never let the No. 11 or No. 24 out of his sight, racing Gordon side by side before pulling out alongside Hamlin.

Harvick took the lead and instantly pulled away from the field on lap 169, leaving Gordon and Hamlin to battled for second. Brian Vickers advanced to second on lap 171.

Sideways, defending points leader Johnson struggled to hold on to his car, losing tenth place to Stremme on lap 172.

Green flag pit stops began on lap 185 when Sorenson and the No. 16 of Greg Biffle came in. A struggling Truex, Jr. came in on the following lap along with Logano, Kenseth and Stewart.

Kyle Busch came in on lap 188. Newman and Kahne also made their pit stops. The following lap teammates Gordon, Johnson and Martin came in. Smoking his tires, the leader Harvick pitted on lap 190 along with Hamlin, Ragan and Gilliland. That handed the lead to Vickers, who made his stop on lap 191.

Stops cycled through on lap 192, with Harvick leading Earnhardt, Jr., Hamlin, Vickers, and Kahne. Ragan and Burton both served pit road penalties.

Hamlin quickly made his way past the No. 88 and began hunting down the No. 29. However, Harvick had a 5.6 second lead, and showed no signs of slowing down.

The sixth caution of the night came out for the No. 48 of Johnson, who had battled loose conditions throughout the race. He spun all by himself and avoided contact. Chase hopeful Greg Biffle was the lucky dog.

Harvick just barely won the race off pit road, followed by Hamlin, Earnhardt, Jr. , Kahne, Vickers, Gordon, Martin, Kenseth, and Stremme.

Points leader Tony Stewart had problems on his pit stop, leaving a lugnut off. He restarted 20th.

Newman stayed out to lead a lap under that caution, but it Harvick who led the field to the green on the outside on lap 208. Hamlin spun the tires and fell into a side by side battle with Kahne, who jumped the lead after going on the outside of Harvick.

Harvick fell to third on lap 209 when Gordon passed him, while Kyle Busch, Kenseth, Vickers and Martin battled for sixth through ninth.

The No. 29 Shell Penzoil Chevrolet continued his decline, falling to fifth by lap 212. However, by 218 he made his way back up to third, and passed Hamlin for second two laps later.

Kahne had built his lead to over two seconds while the Hendrick teammates of Earnhardt, Jr., Martin and Gordon battled for fourth, fifth and sixth.

On lap 225 Harvick caught Kahne was hot on his trail, racing him side by side for the lead to no avail. Happy Harvick was able to complete the pass on lap 231.

Tony Stewart was put a lap down on lap 240 after his pit road misfortune. Harvick led Kahne by nearly two seconds, while a fast No 42 Target Chevrolet continued making strides in third place, three seconds back.

Caution once again came out on lap 245, when Kurt Busch made heavy contact with the wall, collecting the No. 43 of Sorenson as he spun.

"Tore up the entire car," Sorenson told his crew as he came down pit road.

Harvick lost three spots on pit road after left rear tire problems, with Kahne winning the race off pit road. Biffle stayed out under that caution to lead a lap before coming down pit road.

Defending points champion Johnson also had problems, breaking an axel on pit road and went to the garage. Bubble driver Vickers also had axel issues, but managed to stay on the lead lap.

Kahne on the outside led the field to the green with 73 laps to go, as Montoya and Harvick challenged him for the lead. Kenseth, on the outside, passed martin and then Gordon to enter the top five. At his lowest point, he was 31st and even received the lucky dog earlier in the race.

Robby Gordon, Logano and Stewart raced three wide for 13th. Behind them, Bobby Labonte ran in 15th after losing his No. 96 ride for seven races to Erik Darnell. Up front, Montoya passed Harvick for second.

Johnson, who thought his axel problem was fixed, returned to the garage to change the gear in his Lowe's Chevrolet.

With 87 laps to go Logano went spinning after losing a tire, bringing out the night's ninth caution and putting Tony Stewart back on the lead lap. Twenty cars sat on the lead lap.

Kahne led the leaders down pit road, and won the race off pit road leading Harvick, Martin, Montoya, Hamlin, Reutimann, Busch, Stremme Kenseth and Labonte. Johnson also returned to the track after fixing his gear issue, 22 laps down. He would end the day 36th.

The green flag waved on lap 273 with Kahne leading the way as Montoya and Harvick battled behind him for second. After Montoya cleared the No. 29, Harvick began slipping back. Labonte and Stremme got extremely loose battling for eighth.

With 50 laps to go Montoya powered by Kahne for the lead, taking the lead for the first time.

After having axel problems on pit road, Vickers ran 12th with 46 laps to go, keeping his Chase dreams alive.

Harvick began challenging Hamlin for fourth on lap 288 after passing Martin while Montoya, who was good to go on fuel, padded his two second lead over Kahne. The No. 29 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet was keeping a close eye on his temperature as he passed Hamlin.

With just under thirty laps to go Harvick passed Kahne for second, beating Montoya by seven tenths as he made his way back toward the lead. Further back, Martin passed Hamlin for fifth and Robby Gordon battled back and forth with Biffle for 11th.

With 22 laps to go Harvick began a hard charge for the lead, running right on Montoya's back bumper. The two ran side by side with 21 to go, clearing him and began building a large lead over Montoya.

Bowyer's struggles continued as he spun into the infield grass after losing a tire. It brought out the night's ninth caution of the night, and erasing the 1.6 second lead his teammate held over the field. Kyle Busch, who had just been lapped by Harvick, was put back on the lead lap.

Harvick led the leaders down pit road, as he won the race off pit road leading Kahne, Reutimann, Montoya, Hamlin, Martin, Kenseth, Biffle, Vickers and Earnhardt, Jr.

Just eleven laps remained when Harvick led the field on the outside to the green, battling side by side with Kahne as they headed toward the start finish line, with Kahne taking the lead.

Martin and Kenseth, meanwhile, battled for sixth side by side while Hamlin and Reutimann battled just in front of them. For ninth, Jeff Gordon battled to keep Biffle behind him while chasing down Kenseth.

Kahne put a second and a half between he and Harvick as he hit the start finish line with six laps to go. Three wide for position as Kyle Busch took 13th from Stremme and Earnhardt, Jr.

After breaking a 73 race winless streak earlier this season in Sonoma, Kasey Kahne won the first Labor Day weekend race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Harvick, Montoya, Reutimann, Martin, Hamlin, Vickers, Gordon, Newman and Biffle rounded out the top ten. Stewart rebounded from his earlier pit road issues to finish 11th.

"Well this is a big win, we thank the Lord for making us smart enough to make the right decisions," team director Kenny Francis said. "It was just the perfect night for us."

"This is big for everyone on our Shell Pennzoil Chevrolet," second place Harvick said. "Were were good on long runs but, congratulations to Kasey, they were a lot better on short runs and it just came down to a short run tonight."

"It was awesome, I thought I was going to get him but I just got freakin' sideways down in three," Montoya, who finished third, said. "Everyone on the Target Chevrolet did good today. Everyone's working so hard to make this happen. And with this third place, it makes it a little closer to this Chase."

For the second time this season, Kasey Kahne put The King's car in Victory Lane.

"We had an unbelievable car throughout the race. This pit crew did a phenomenal job this whole night," Kahne said. "This team did a great job. I knew Harvick and Montoya were going to be though there at the end, but we just got them there... we just had a little better car for ten laps." 

Kahne gained five spots in points to sixth while Denny Hamlin locked himself into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Next week it's Saturday night racing under the lights as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads into Richmond International Raceway for the Chevy Rock 'n Roll 400. The race begins at 7 p.m. ET on ABC.

This article also appears on SoCalSportsHub.com.

Thanks to @NateRyan, @Jeff_Gluck and @NASCAR_RealTime for Tweeting the quotes used in this article during the event.

Sitting 28th in points after a 29th place finish at Michigan International Raceway, it almost seems that 23-year-old Reed Sorenson is racing for his job. One week after a crew, crew chief and car switch between he and teammate A.J. Allmendinger, Sorenson was looking to turn his luck around.

"I'm still enjoying myself and doing the best I can," the Georgia native told The Canadian Press. "I've just got to keep digging."

The weekend for Sorenson and new crew chief Sammy Johns immediately got off to a strong start when the No. 43 Dodge ended the first practice sixth on the podium and ran in the top five for most of Happy Hour before ending the session 13th.

Their good times would keep rolling in qualifying, when Sorenson laid down a 123.610 mph lap to qualify 10th.

In an effort to grasp the often treacherous Bristol Motor Speedway, Sorenson would also pilot the No. 1 Miccosukee Resort & Gaming Chevrolet for James Finch in the Nationwide Series.

Sorenson, who started 12th, was led to the green flag of the Food City 250 by polesitter Brad Keselowski, and ran in the top 15 for most of the night

On lap 52 Sorenson was racing for ninth with Stephen Wallace when Kyle Busch made a pass for the lead and was subsequently wrecked by the lap car of Chase Austin, who suffered a flat tire.

“(I) Actually came off the corner and hadn't used much break in this car; seems like I touched the break and I was sideways. And I was going down the straightaway sideways and headed straight for the inside wall and was trying to hold on to it. The (No.) 07 (Austin)...it's pretty ridiculous what he did to the (No.) 18 there.

“It's fun, I enjoy running in the Nationwide Series and stuff like this happens here. I just hate it for these guys.”

The Finch team was unable to get the battered car back on track, and Sorenson finished 35th.

Polesitter Mark Martin led the field to the green flag after an absolutely electrifying pre-race show at 7:49 Easter time.

Sorenson started on the outside, the preferred line in the Nationwide event and raced side by side with Juan Pablo Montoya to keep his position. On lap four Dave Blaney nearly made contact with the No. 43 as he began to fall through the pack.

On lap 10 Sorenson tapped the No. 20 of rookie Joey Logano, sending him into the wall and bringing out the day's first caution. He had fallen back to 11th.

Green flag on lap 16. Two laps later Sorenson, complaining of a tight car, fell back to 13th. The tight condition would keep him falling, as he ran 19th and continued to slip back 27 laps in the race.

On lap 46 Sorenson, on the outside, battled side by side with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. for the 20th spot before being passed. Hanging on in the upper groove, Sorenson trudged on in his tight race car.

For 24th to 30th a heavy battled with the likes of Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and several others raged on, chasing down the No. 43 until, on lap 64, when Hamlin had a tire go down.

After the No. 18 of Kyle Busch made contact with one of the tire carriers, Sorenson fell 13 spots on pit road to 35th for the restart on lap 70.

Battling his way back up front—and out of the clutches of an approaching leader Martin—Sorenson battled side by side with Edwards before moving on to his teammate, Elliot Sadler. Making it up to 28th, the Valvoline Dodge lost a lap on lap 133.

Three laps later another Richard Petty Motorsports car, the No. 44 of A.J. Allmendinger, lost a brake rotor to bring out the race's third caution. Sadler would get the free pass, and Sorenson was shown back on the lead lap.

Sorenson silently raced in the early twenties, making a pit stop on lap blank. After the restarts blank laps later, the No. 43 crew again cost their driver positions, sending Sorenson back to 26th.

Going three wide with Jeff Burton and Kasey Kahne on the lap 170 restart, he once again begins racing his way towards the top 20, jumping to 21st and continuing to drive hard. He again made it three wide Earnhardt, Jr. and 83 of Brian Vickers to finally re-enter the top 20.

Pit stops came on lap 258 when John Andretti brought out caution. Again, Sorenson fell back to 25th because of the stop.

From there, Sorenson seemed to be stalemated in the early twenties, until, around lap 310, he began gaining momentum and chasing down cars, re-entering the top twenty and sitting 19th.

After the pit stops on lap 356, the No. 43 Valvoline Dodge took four tires and an air pressure adjustment, just losing one position. Their driver continued gaining momentum on the restart, passing David Ragan and Kevin Harvick to rocket to 16th place.

By passing Jamie McMurray with 120 laps to go, Sorenson re-entered the top 15 for the first time since lap 18. A heated battle between he and Harvick, however sent him back to 16th.

Sorenson narrowly escaped a big disaster; running 14th, he barely missed the colliding teammates Harvick and Bowyer. Casey Mears, Sam Hornish, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, and Brian Vickers were also collected in the incident that brought out the seventh caution of the night.

On lap 459. the No. 43 team once again made a pit stop under caution, taking just two tires and restarting 16th-- just three spots from where he was running under green. However, despite the new tires Sorenson began to slip back, settling in 18^th on lap 471.

Prior to the restart on lap 486, Sorenson began complaining, yet again, of a tight condition on his car. Once the field went back to green he did begin to pick up positions again, gaining momentum as he improved to 17th.

Sorenson would end the day 19th after getting passed late by Jeff Burton. It was his 11th top 20 of the year, including one top 10 that came in the season opening Daytona.

In two weeks the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Atlanta to race under the lights for the Pep Boys Auto 500; it'll be ESPN's last Cup race before switching things over to sister station ABC.

On September fourth Sorenson will be hosting his annual charity golf tournament at the Eagles Landing Country Club in Stockbridge, Georgia to raise money for Speedway Children's Charities. For more information visit Magnolia Golf Group, Speedway Children's Charities, or Reed Sorenson's website. To get updates on Sorenson during the race, head to Twitter and follow @rpmotorosports.

For Jeff Gordon's Lugnut Report, click here. If you'd like to read the Michigan Lugnut Reports, click here for Juan Pablo Montoya and here for Casey Mears.

Six years ago, a blue eyed 24 year old from a small time in Washington burst onto the then NEXTEL Cup Series scene. The incoming Kasey Kahne had enormous shoes to fill—"Awesome" Bill Elliot was stepping out of his No. 9 Dodge, leaving the reins to the young driver.

Kahne got off to a rough start in his debut, finishing 41st due to an engine failure. However, in an event that would occur throughout his career, Kahne bounced back, finishing runner up in the next two events.

Despite not winning, Enumclaw, Washington's favorite son finished second five times, finished in the top 10 14 times, and ended the year 13th in points with Rookie of the Year honors.

His sophomore season came with hits and misses; he scored his first win 11 races into the season at Richmond International Raceway, where he led over half the laps.

"We waited longer than I would have thought to win," Kahne said after the race.

"We started out last year good and had a lot of seconds and thirds and ran up front. We thought we could win races, but we weren't able to do it. We had to wait a long time, but at least we finally won one and hopefully we'll get more now. I was nervous on those last restarts."

However, nine DNFs adding to his 18 finishes off the lead lap saw Kahne finish 10 spots lower in points than his previous season.

Off the track, Kahne's popularity was skyrocketing. He was named one of People Magazine's 50 Hottest Bachelors.

"I never knew so many people read that magazine! Since it came out [last June], I get recognized a ton more. I was in Washington, D.C. walking to a restaurant by myself, when a woman pulls up in her car and yells, 'Good job at Richmond!'"

Kahne's third full season in Cup would see him find success he hasn't found since. He won a resounding six races—Atlanta, Fort Worth, Michigan, Fontana and swept both events at Charlotte—finished in the top 10 19 times, and led over 700 laps. The season would also see Kahne finish the highest in points of his career, eighth.

The next two years, 2007 and 2008, saw Kahne fail to qualify for the Chase both years, winning just two races and collecting ten DNFs.

"I've been here before, and I'll probably be here again," he said. "That's the way it goes."

It was also a transition period, with Ray Evernham slowly backing away from the sport while new owner began George Gillett taking over majority control.

Which brings us to this year, where once again Kahne found himself adjusting to a new merger—this time with The King Richard Petty at the helm of the new Richard Petty Motorsports. He and teammate Elliot Sadler joined Reed Sorenson and A.J. Allmendinger.

Kahne once again had a rough Daytona; while his teammates finished in the top ten, he finished 29th. In the first 15 races, his average finish was 16.8, and had just four top 10 finishes.

Then came Sonoma.

He led twice on the day including the last 33 laps—33 laps that would include four cautions, and four restarts with Tony Stewart, who Kahne said was "as good as it gets out here."

But on that Sunday, Smoke wasn't as good as Kahne, who eventually pulled out to a substantial lead before winning the race. 

"It feels great. I can't believe it," Kahne said.

The last time Petty had visited Victory Lane, it was 10 years earlier—when a 19 year old Kahne was paving his way in the World of Outlaws.

Now, Kahne's season has turned around for the better. His average finish since the win is ninth, and he's currently eighth in points standings—staying in the top 12 will qualify the now 29 year old for the Chase for the first time since 2006, and only the second time in his career.

Heading into the Brickyard this weekend, Kahne has an average finish of 17th, and one DNF. However, he also has three top 10s and has yet to start worse than 12th.

Thanks to the Enumclaw Courier-Herald, Sports Illustrated, Scene Daily, ESPN and Racing Reference for the information and quotes used in this article. For more information on Kasey Kahne, you can check out his web site.

This article also appears on FanZone Sports.

The King hasn't been to Victory Lane since Martinsville, when John Andretti went to victory lane. That was eleven years ago.

The No. 9 car has never won at Sonoma. Kasey Kahne has never had a top-10 at a road course; his best finish was a 14th, at Watkins Glen, and his last win was at Pocono...over a year ago.

But just before the race, Kahne told crew chief Kenny Francis that his car was the "best car ever at a road course."

On lap 81, after leader Scott Speed pulled onto pit road, Kahne took the lead. He would have to hold off the likes of Tony Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, and Marcos Ambrose to win the race.

In a crazy road race that saw seven cautions and even more spins, twenty, Kahne threw his arms into the air, grinning ear to ear.

"Feels great...I can't believe it to tell you the truth. I learned to drive on dirt, and to win on a road course takes the cake," Kahne said as he was hugged by Richard Petty.

"I feel just as good as he does. He's...he's great," The King said excitedly, patting his driver on the back.

"Happy father's day, Dad," Kahne added. "Have yourself a beer."

"Kasey never made a mistake," second place finisher Tony Stewart said. "The kid drove a great race." Stewart leads the points by 84 points.

It was an overall good day for Richard Petty Motorsports—but it didn't start out that way. A.J. Allmendinger fell off the lead lap on lap 29 and came back to finish seventh, and Reed Sorenson had a track bar fail on him on lap 33. Elliot Sadler, who ended up ninth, also lost a lap early.

"The nine team is the foundation of this team," Allmendinger said. "And Kasey is a foundation driver."

Clint Bowyer, part of the struggling Richard Childress Racing group, came home eighth in front of Jeff Gordon, who suffered a speeding penalty on lap

With his sixth place finish Juan Pablo Montoya is unofficially in the Chase.

Kurt Busch was punted by Jimmie Johnson on lap 89, but came back to finish a strong 15th.

"Two guys trying to go for the same spot on the track," Busch said. "I didn't expect that from Jimmie."

Busch went on to say his team was "poised for a top five spot" and thought Johnson should've been "a bit more patient." Johnson came up to the driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge and shook his hand.

Thirty six cars finished on the lead lap, a road course record.

Shannon Matthews is a Sports Jabber contributor. You can view more of his work at  Talking NW Sports

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