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PRESENTS

Matt Kenseth celebrates winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series DHP 200 on Friday in Darlington Raceway's Victory Lane. (Photo Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)

By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 8, 2009) -- Maybe Matt Kenseth's luck has turned again.

On Friday afternoon, Kenseth was the surprise pole winner for Saturday's Southern 500 Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway.

On Friday night, he completed the daily double with a victory in the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 Nationwide Series race at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped track, after misfortune struck the dominant car of Kyle Busch in the closing circuits.

Kenseth inherited the lead when Busch was forced to pit under yellow with a cut right-rear tire and won the race under the record-tying 10th caution period of the night, when Morgan Shepherd spun moments after a restart for a green-white-checkered-flag finish that took the race six laps beyond its scheduled 147 laps.

The victory was Kenseth's first of the season, his third at Darlington and his 25th in the series, fifth best all-time. Jason Leffler came home second, followed by Carl Edwards and rookie Erik Darnell, who posted his first top-five finish in his third start in the series. Fellow rookie Justin Allgaier ran fifth.

"Today couldn't have gone any better than it did, that's for sure," said Kenseth, who won the first two Cup races of the season before his fortunes soured and a series of miscues and mishaps dropped him to 12th in the standings. "Like I said earlier, it's all really about the cars and the people that work on them and your pit stops and all that.

"I can't go fast with slow cars, which I proved over the last couple months. It feels good to be able to win one of these things… On the Cup side, it feels good to make changes today, and the car actually reacted to it and seemed to drive a lot better than our stuff has lately, so it's been a good day for us. Hopefully, that will continue (Saturday)."

With Busch finishing 16th, Edwards trimmed the Joe Gibbs Racing driver's advantage in the series standings to 37 points.

Busch, who led a race-high 143 laps, was two circuits away from victory when a wreck on the backstretch involving Scott Lagasse Jr. and Joe Nemechek brought out the ninth caution and set up the green-white-checkered-flag finish. Busch ran over debris from the wreck.

Busch's right rear tire sustained a cut to the inside sidewall. The tire likely would not have survived the restart, and Busch and crew chief Jason Ratliff made the prudent call to pit and change tires.

Notes: Friday's Nationwide qualifying session was rained out, and the starting field was set according to owner points. Busch started from the pole and Kenseth from the sixth spot… Brad Keselowski survived three spins, the first on the initial lap of the race, to finish 11th… Ryan Newman drove Kevin Harvick's No. 33 Chevrolet to a sixth-place finish. That car now leads Busch's JGR Toyota by seven points in the owners' standings.

NASCAR Race Number 10

Unofficial Race Results for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 - Friday, May 8, 2009

Darlington Raceway - Darlington, SC - 1.366 Mile Paved

Total Race Length - 153 Laps - 208.998 Miles - Purse: $1,118,669

Leader

1 6 16 Matt Kenseth CitiFinancial Ford 153 190 5 $44,795 Running 1 4 128.7

2 7 38 Jason Leffler Great Clips Toyota 153 170 $38,868 Running 116.8

3 3 60 Carl Edwards Scotts Ford 153 170 5 $24,400 Running 1 5 118.1

4 5 6 Erik Darnell # Northern Tool + Equipment Ford 153 160 $27,518 Running 114.0

5 16 12 Justin Allgaier # Verizon Wireless Dodge 153 155 $24,143 Running 107.0

6 2 33 Ryan Newman KHI Chevrolet 153 150 $19,375 Running 103.1

7 19 1 Mike Bliss Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet 153 146 $25,678 Running 91.6

8 9 29 Jeff Burton Holiday Inn Chevrolet 153 142 $16,770 Running 101.4

9 31 5 Scott Wimmer Fastenal Chevrolet 153 138 $22,568 Running 90.7

10 10 32 Brian Vickers Dollar General Toyota 153 134 $16,625 Running 94.7

11 8 88 Brad Keselowski DELPHI Chevrolet 153 130 $22,143 Running 88.5

12 4 20 Joey Logano GameStop Toyota 153 127 $15,600 Running 93.7

13 24 99 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota 153 124 $22,418 Running 79.9

14 14 66 Steve Wallace US fidelis Chevrolet 153 121 $21,968 Running 86.2

15 11 27 Jason Keller Rite-Aid / Kleenex Ford 153 118 $22,668 Running 69.8

16 1 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs Toyota 153 125 10 $15,325 Running 2 143 134.2

17 23 07 Patrick Carpentier PMCLife.com Toyota 153 112 $21,743 Running 76.9

18 17 28 Kenny Wallace US Border Patrol Chevrolet 153 109 $21,693 Running 73.9

19 15 62 Brendan Gaughan # 5-Hour Energy Drink Chevrolet 152 106 $21,643 Running 63.0

20 21 10 Brian Scott Dollar General Toyota 152 103 $22,718 Running 67.0

21 18 34 Tony Raines Long John Silver's Chevrolet 152 105 5 $24,018 Running 1 1 68.5

22 13 11 Scott Lagasse Jr. # America's Incredible Pizza Company Toyota 152 97 $21,468 Running 74.1

23 32 40 Jeff Green StopRepairBills.com Chevrolet 151 94 $14,950 Running 64.8

24 29 26 Brian Keselowski Schweitzer Title Dodge 151 91 $21,768 Running 61.9

25 30 61 Brandon Whitt Ford 150 88 $21,468 Running 51.7

26 25 81 Kevin Hamlin D.H. Griffin Companies Dodge 150 85 $21,268 Running 56.1

27 28 01 Danny O'Quinn Jr. MC2 Energy Drink / Black's Tire Chevrolet 150 82 $21,218 Running 55.5

28 27 24 Eric McClure Hefty Ford 149 79 $21,168 Running 45.0

29 20 15 Michael Annett # Pilot Travel Centers Toyota 149 76 $21,133 Running 45.9

30 26 23 Jeff Fuller Mahindra Tractors Chevrolet 148 73 $21,393 Running 39.4

31 33 89 Morgan Shepherd Eldora Speedway / Lagina Plumbing Chevrolet 148 70 $21,038 Running 37.7

32 22 87 Joe Nemechek Nemco Motorsports Chevrolet 142 67 $20,993 Accident 60.2

33 12 47 Michael McDowell # Tom's Snacks Toyota 140 64 $20,973 Running 75.8

34 35 09 John Wes Townley # Zaxby's Ford 117 61 $14,485 Throttle 46.6

35 37 52 Kevin Lepage Ford 57 58 $14,440 Accident 39.3

36 36 42 Kenny Hendrick BailOutForBarney.com / Smith Iron Works Dodge 54 55 $14,420 Accident 38.2

37 43 84 Mike Harmon TEC Partners, LLC Chevrolet 36 52 $14,400 Brakes 34.0

38 38 31 Travis Kittleson Bob Steele Chevrolet / Circle K Thirst Buster Chevrolet 19 49 $14,350 Over 36.1

39 40 0 Mark Green sponsordavis.com Chevrolet 17 46 $14,315 Brakes 35.1

40 39 49 Kertus Davis GetMoreVacations.com Chevrolet 15 43 $14,290 Ignition 33.0

41 41 91 Terry Cook # MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet 13 40 $14,265 Vibration 31.3

42 42 90 Johnny Chapman MSRP Motorsports Chevrolet 12 37 $14,240 Ignition 31.4

43 34 05 Casey Atwood 31W Insulation Chevrolet 11 34 $14,203 Transmissi 32.4

With an estimated crowd of 25,000 in attendance, Matt Kenseth won the Diamond Hill Plywood 200. Prior to the start, the

following cars dropped to the rear of the field for reasons indicated: #27/#15/#62 (back-up cars); #23 (missing drivers'

meeting).

Race Comments:

Failed to Qualify: (4) 96, 98, 73, 41.

Time of Race: 1 Hrs, 47 Mins, 33 Secs. Average Speed: Margin of Victory:

10 for 32 laps: Laps: 2-3 (# 38, 88 accident, Turn 1. [None]); 7-8 (# 1, 10, 47 accident, Turn 2. [None]); 43-47 (# 42 accident, Turn 4. [40]); 51-53 (# 1, 09

accident frontstretch. [87]); 93-96 (# 52 accident Turn 2. [11]); 99-101 (# 88 spin, Turn 2. [07]); 108-111 (# 15, 88 accident Turn 2. [27]); 118-120 (# 09,

accident Turn 3. [28]); 147-151 (# 11, 87 accident backstretch. [None]); 153-153 (# 89 accident frontstretch. [None]).

Caution Flags:

Lead Changes: 4 among 4 drivers: K. Busch 1-39; C. Edwards 40-44; T. Raines 45; K. Busch 46-149; M. Kenseth 150-153.

(1) K. Busch 1,539;(2) C. Edwards 1,502;(3) J. Leffler 1,386;(4) J. Logano 1,340;(5) Brad Keselowski 1,331;(6) J. Keller 1,181;(7) D. Ragan 1,139;(8) S.

Lagasse Jr. # 1,095;(9) J. Allgaier # 1,089;(10) S. Wallace 1,088.

Top 10 Driver Points:

116.596 MPH Under Caution

Kansas Success Shows Jason White�s Ready To Contend

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 4, 2009) � Sixty-seven different drivers posted a top-10 finish in their first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start, the most recent being Brian Ickler (No. 51 Miccosukee Resorts Toyota) at Kansas Speedway on April 27.

It took Jason White (No. 23 GB Racing Dodge) a little bit longer � quite a bit longer.

But if recent performance is any indicator, the Powhatan, Va., native is primed to run with the leaders.

White finished 10th in the O�Reilly Auto Parts 250, ending the longest top-10 drought in series history. The race marked the 29-year-old competitor�s 59th NCWTS start.

White is one of only three drivers (see below) to have started more than 40 races before landing that elusive top 10. His best previous finish, 13th, came in his second appearance at Martinsville Speedway in 2001.

The Kansas performance, during which White battled for the race lead, is a counterpoint to his first full season (2007) during which he failed to qualify four times and posted no finishes among the top 20.

�It�s been so tough, waiting for one this long,� said White of his first top-10 performance, while noting that several other races earlier this year could have matched or bettered his Kansas showing. �We had a tire (go down) and another time somebody wrecked us.�

White made his first series start in 1999, finishing 26th at O�Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. Nearly a decade later, he�s finally got a team and equipment capable of showcasing his talents.

And he believes the Kansas showing is just the beginning.

�Definitely,� he said. �We�ve got a new team and some experienced guys who are giving me good trucks that handle well enough to get up there and pass some people.�

What the Dwayne Gaulding-owned team doesn�t have is a manufacturer active in the series. White drives a Dodge �and we�re at some kind of disadvantage,� he said of being the only team fielding a Ram pickup truck. �That makes it tough but that was our only option.�

Still, White qualified eighth for the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and he feels the best is ahead.

�Hopefully, we can keep knocking them (the competition) off weekly,� White said.

Long Time Coming

The five longest number of starts required for a  top-10 finish in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series:

    Driver               Start
1. Jason White         59
2. Brandon Whitt      45
3. David Starr           44
4. Bill Lester            38
5. Wayne Edwards   32

Series Roots Planted Firmly In North Carolina

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series didn�t appear at Lowe�s Motor Speedway until 2003. The May 15 North Carolina Education Lottery 200 marks the seventh time the series has visited the 1.5-mile facility.

North Carolina, however, was among 11 states hosting events during the series� 1995 inaugural schedule of 20 races.

The famed but now long-shuttered North Wilkesboro Speedway, a .625-mile short track, held not one but two races before closing its gates for good in 1996. Of note, the Sept. 28, 1996 Lowe�s Home Improvement Warehouse 250 was the next-to-final race held at the historic track.

North Wilkesboro produced several series milestones. Mike Bliss (No. 40 Chevrolet), who would become the 2002 champion after a brief NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stint with A.J. Foyt, scored his first series victory in 1995. His crew chief � also a first-time winner � was Junior Johnson prot�g� Barry Dodson. The victory was the first of 36 for 2005 owner champion Jim Smith, a member of the off-road group which conceptualized the NCWTS.

The 1996 race was noteworthy on a couple of fronts. Johnny Benson, the 2008 NCWTS champion, captured his first pole, although it took nearly 18 hours to make the lap official. Qualifying began on Friday and concluded on Saturday. Had time trials been washed out, Benson would have lost the pole and a spot in the race.

The North Wilkesboro race itself was a snapshot of series competition to come. Mark Martin�s victory was the first of 49 for Roush Fenway Racing, a team that�s participated in every NCWTS race since late 1995 and won the 2000 championship with Greg Biffle.
 
Toyota Rules Stats At LMS But Not Win Column

Chevrolet has set up camp in the Lowe�s Motor Speedway Victory Lane.

The manufacturer has won each of the last five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races at LMS, and it has done it with four different drivers.

But because of the abundance of trucks it has in the field, the Loop Data statistics show Chevrolet below the other manufacturers.

Since the inception of Loop Data in 2005, at LMS, Chevrolet has a Driver Rating of 67.7, an Average Running Position of 20.2, a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 33.1% and 162 Fastest Laps Run.

Though those totals aren�t staggering, Chevrolet�s robust truck count must be considered. Chevrolet has run 55 trucks in the past four LMS races. The second-highest truck count total belongs to Toyota, with 38.

Taking the top quarter for each manufacturer, Chevrolet has a Driver Rating of 100.1, which is tops among the four manufacturers.  Second-best is Toyota with a 96.7.

Taking all trucks into account, Toyota has the top numbers at LMS. Since 2005, it has a Driver Rating of 82.2, an Average Running Position of 16.0, 130 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 52.8%.

Toyota also has Kyle Busch, who has won twice at LMS while driving a Chevrolet. At LMS, Busch has the top Driver Rating of 126.1. Busch�s No. 51 Miccosukee Resort team, however, now fields Toyotas. 

Raybestos Rookie Of The Year Standings

Rk  Driver                    Points
1.   Tayler Malsam         48
2.   James Buescher      47
3.   Johnny Sauter          45
4.   Ricky Carmichael     45
5.   J.R. Fitzpatrick        42
6.   Brent Raymer          18
7.   Chase Austin          16
8.   Chris Jones             12

Etc.

With just three points covering the top four contenders, this year�s Raybestos Rookie of the Year contest shapes up as among the closest in the 13 years the prize has been awarded. Three of the four already have scored a top-10 finish and two � Tayler Malsam (No. 81 One Eighty Toyota) and James Buescher (No. 10 International MAXX Force Diesel Ford) � are within a few points of cracking the top 10 in overall standings ranking 12th and 14th, respectively. A rookie has not finished among the final top 10 since 2003 when Carl Edwards parlayed three victories into an eighth-place ranking.

The Keystone Light Pole starter has yet to win in six tries at Lowe�s Motor Speedway. Five of the six winners have started seventh or deeper in the field. Kyle Busch (No. 51 Miccosukee Resort Toyota) is best and worst qualified among previous winners: third in 2005 and 20th a year later.

Brian Scott (No. 16 Albertsons Toyota) will get his first look at Darlington Raceway this seek as the Idaho native makes his fourth start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series driving for Braun Racing. Scott comes off his best NNS qualifying performance, 10th, at Richmond International Raceway last week.

Mike Skinner�s (No. 5 Bad Boy Mowers Toyota) Kansas victory was the eighth by an over-50 driver currently active in the series. Skinner and rival Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 Copart.com Chevrolet) each have four such wins.

Rick Crawford (No. 14 International Truck and Engine Ford) fulfilled a life-long dream � and his need for speed � when he participated in an incentive ride with the Blue Angels at Florida�s Pensacola Naval Air Station on April 28.  Flown by Lt. Ben Walborn in Blue Angel No. 7, Crawford experienced as much as 7.3 g�s and speeds as fast as 750 mph. �All of the adjectives you use for excitement don�t measure up to it,� said Crawford.

Up Next

The next stop for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be under the lights at Lowe�s Motor Speedway in the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on Friday, May 15.

Last year�s race saw Matt Crafton (No. 88 Menards Chevrolet) snap a 177-race winless streak by edging Chad McCumbee (No. 07 TheGPSstore.com Chevrolet) by .184 seconds. 

Manufacturers' Battle

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series 2009 Manufacturers' Championship Standings following Race 5 of 25 at Kansas Speedway:

Toyota    42
Chevrolet 33
Ford        20
Dodge     15

Fast Facts

Next Race: North Carolina Education Lottery 200
The Place: Lowe�s Motor Speedway
The Date: Fri., May 15, 2009
The Time: 8 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 201 miles / 134 laps
TV: SPEED, 7:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS XM.
Track Layout: 1.5-mile paved
2008 Winner: Matt Crafton
2008 Polesitter: Kyle Busch
Schedule: Friday�Practice, 9-10 a.m. and  10:20-11:50 a.m.; Qualifying, 3:35 p.m.

Jason Keller Reaches For 5,000-Mile Mark At Darlington

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 4, 2009) - Jason Keller (No. 27 Rite-Aid Ford) is not only the �Iron Man� of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, but also is earning that nickname at his home track, Darlington Raceway.

The Greenville, S.C., native is the series� all-time leader in starts (465) and Friday night, he�ll attempt to add to his resume and become the first NASCAR Nationwide driver to reach the 5,000-mile plateau at Darlington. That accomplishment would supplement another mark he holds there � the most NASCAR Nationwide Series laps completed (3,598).

Keller returns to Darlington to make his 27th series start at the famed 1.366-mile track. He�s currently ranked seventh in the series standings and is aiming to finish the season in the top 10 in points for the first time since 2005, the last time he drove full-time in the series for the same owner.

The owner tandem of Mike Curb and Gary Baker have watched the series-only veteran return to his old self in his first full season at Baker Curb Racing. Keller has three top 10s this year, including a ninth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway last Friday night. His other two top-10 finishes came at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway.

�I think we�ve had some strong runs and can take a lot of positives so far,� said Keller. �The entire team is doing everything we can to continue to improve (each) week. If you look at where this team is now compared to the end of last year, we�ve done just that. Having said that, we�re not content with where we are and still need to improve as the season continues.

The team is 11th in series owner points, just 15 points out of 10th. Heading to Darlington, Keller has posted three top fives and 10 top 10s over his 26 starts at the egg-shaped oval.

Steve Wallace Breaks Into Top 10 In Points For The First Time

Steve Wallace�s (No. 66 US Fidelis Chevrolet) maturation continues.

With his 11th-place finish at Richmond International Raceway he has climbed to 10th in the driver standings, coming full circle from his 42nd-place finish to start the season at Daytona. This is the first time in Wallace�s NASCAR Nationwide Series career he�s been ranked in the top 10. 

Last season Wallace posted two top fives in succession at Richmond and Darlington, his career-best finishes. This year, his consistency since Daytona has proven to be his key to success. He has three top 10s thus far in 2009, the earliest in his career he�s accumulated that many.

Entering Darlington, he has the opportunity to continue his early momentum. The 2009 NASCAR season-to-date Loop Data shows him with a Driver Rating of  80.8 and a Average Running Position of 16.720. Both stats are up from 2008 where he posted a Driver Rating of 76.5 and a Average Running Position 18.995.

Wallace isn�t alone. His Rusty Wallace Racing organization has gotten off to a good start this year. Brendan Gaughan (No. 62 South Point Casino Chevrolet), a Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate, is one spot behind his teammate at 11th in the standings. Gaughan has three top 10s and a pole in 2009. He�s third in the rookie rankings behind Michael McDowell (No. 47 Tom�s Toyota) and Scott Lagasse Jr. (No. 11 America�s Incredible Pizza Co. Toyota).

Friday night will be Gaughan�s first NASCAR Nationwide Series attempt at Darlington. He has one start there in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series where he finished 27th in 2004.

Jason Leffler Not Backing Down From Busch, Edwards In Championship Chase

Kyle Busch (No. 18 Z-Line Designs Toyota) and Carl Edwards (No. 60 Scotts Ford) are trying to steal the show, but Jason Leffler (No. 38 Great Clips Toyota) continues to be a factor.

His 10th-place finish at Richmond was his fourth top-10 in a row and the sixth time this year he�s finished in that group which has launched him to the best start of his career.

Sitting third in the points, Leffler is still within striking distance of series standings leader Busch (198 points back), and is 116 behind Edwards, who is in second.

Leffler had top-10 finishes in each of this last three races at �The Lady in Black,� and leads six series-only regulars in the top 10 in driver points heading to race No. 10 on the year.

Leffler has a chance to gain even more ground in the points on Busch and Edwards. The NASCAR Pre-Race Loop Data for the Diamond Plywood 200 has Leffler ranked higher than Busch and Edwards in Average Running Position � Leffler is ranked eighth (9.643); Busch is ranked ninth (10.201); Edwards is  21st (21.034).

Leffler also bests Edwards in Driver Rating. He has a Pre-Race Driver Rating of 102.6, while Edwards stands at 79.3.

No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Team Returns To Darlington To Continue Winning Streak

The No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota has dominated recently at Darlington, winning the last three races (Denny Hamlin 2006, 07 from the pole; Tony Stewart last year).

This weekend, it is Joey Logano�s (No. 20 GameStop Toyota) turn at continuing the team�s winning streak. The defending car owner champion is currently fourth in the owner rankings, 96 points behind its Joe Gibbs Racing running mate, the No. 18 Toyota driven by Kyle Busch.  His crew chief, Jason Ratcliff, is a native of Sumter, S.C.

Logano will be making his first NASCAR national series start at Darlington this weekend. He just missed his fourth straight top-five finish with a sixth-place result at Richmond last Friday night.

Logano is fourth in driver points despite not being entered at Las Vegas.

He isn�t scheduled to run a full season in 2009, instead concentrating on his NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie campaign. But his strong showing in the NASCAR Nationwide series isn�t going unnoticed. He leads the series in season-to-date Average Running Position (7.018), and is ranked third in Driver Rating (109.8).

Scott Wimmer Looks To Capitalize On Golden Opportunity

Though not in the title hunt, Scott Wimmer may present the most intriguing storyline to this weekend�s NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Darlington.

Wimmer (No. 5 Fastenal Motorsports Chevrolet) swaps teams for this race, going from his usual No. 40 Key Motorsports Chevrolet to the No. 5 JR Motorsports entry, a car that has two top fives and four top 10s in the five races it has run.

The success of the No. 5 Chevrolet gives Wimmer a golden opportunity to showcase his talents � but it also adds a heaping helping of pressure.

But Wimmer does have some Darlington success on which to rely. He has one top-10 finish in seven races, and performed well in his last visit to the track in 2006 despite a 26th-place finish.

In that race, Wimmer posted a Driver Rating of 83.0, an Average Running Position of 13.3 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 82.3.

Wimmer has struggled this season, failing to crack the top 10 in any of his six starts. He also failed to qualify for another three races.

Speaking of pressure, Kyle Busch piled some more on Carl Edwards this weekend. Busch�s points lead grew once again last weekend at Richmond, this time by 20 points. It could�ve been worse had Edwards not finished second and led 71 laps.

The worry for Edwards is now Darlington, the scene of one of just two last-place finishes he has had in his NASCAR Nationwide Series career (he also finished last at Texas Motor Speedway in 2006).  Last year, Edwards suffered an accident and completed only three laps.

Otherwise, he has had one top five and two top 10s in his four-race Darlington career. At Darlington, Edwards has a Driver Rating of 7.3, an Average Running Position of 21.0, 13 Fastest Laps Run and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 44.2.

Busch, on the other hand, has a Driver Rating of 104.1 and an Average Running Position of 10.2.
  
NNS Etc.

• Finch�s Triumphant Return Home
  James Finch, owner of Phoenix Racing, bases his shop in Spartanburg S.C. and is back home two weeks after his incredible NASCAR Sprint Cup victory at Talladega with Brad Keselowski (No 88 Delphi Chevrolet) as his driver.
  
  Finch was so close to bringing back-to-back wins home to Darlington. His NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, Mike Bliss (No. 9 Miccosukee Resorts Chevrolet), had a stellar run going last Friday night at Richmond, leading twice for 62 laps and was a factor until a broken track bar late relegated him to a 33rd-place finish.
  
  
• Burton Looking For Past Darlington Magic
  Jeff Burton (No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet) has four wins at Darlington, tying him with Harry Gant for second in wins there all-time. Mark Martin leads the series with eight.
  
  In 24 races, Burton has augmented those victories with 11 top fives, 15 top 10s and two poles. He won three races in succession from 2001-02, but for Burton that�s a mini-slump at the track. That, plus he hasn�t won a series race since 2007 at Homestead.
  
  Burton is fourth all-time in NASCAR Nationwide wins (27).
  
  
• Morgan Shepherd�s 250th Career Start
  NASCAR veteran Morgan Shepherd (No. 89 Eldora Speedway/Lagina Plumbing Chevrolet) will attempt to make his 250th start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this weekend at Darlington.  Shepherd, who has a combined 811 starts in NASCAR�s national series, has recorded 15 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, as well as 44 top five and 67 top 10s.
  
  Shepherd, who is running the full series schedule in 2009, has two top-20 finishes in nine races so far this season, a 19th-place finish at Auto Club Speedway and a 13th-place run at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
  
  At age 67, Shepherd is the oldest fulltime competitor in NASCAR and is the second-oldest driver to ever have won a NASCAR Sprint Cup  race.
  
  In 21 starts at Darlington in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Shepherd has three top fives and six top 10s.
  
  
• Tie-Dye Team Tribute
  Smith-Ganassi Racing with Evander Holyfield will sport a colorful tie-dye paint scheme to raise awareness of Bluegrass musician Barney Barnwell�s plight at Darlington.
  
  The No. 42 Dodge team led by owner Eddie Smith, driver Kenny Hendrick and crew chief Tim Weiss, has decided to donate their unsponsored hood space to worthwhile causes. For the Darlington race, the �Bail Out for Barney� campaign will be the featured cause. Barnwell is well-known Bluegrass musician and singer with the Plum Hollow Band, who has fallen on hard times after being diagnosed with throat cancer.
  
  
• McDowell Reclaims Rookie Lead
  Michael McDowell has shot to the front of the rookie standings after a eighth-place finish at  Richmond, his second top-10 result of the season.
  
  McDowell leads the rooklie standings by a slim two-point margin over Scott Lagasse Jr. Brendan Gaughan and Justin Algaier (No. 12 Verizon Wireless Dodge) who are locked in a three-way tie for second.
  
  McDowell was the season�s first rookie leader after Daytona, but was supplanted by Gaughan following the second race at Auto Club Speedway.
  
  Gaughan held the top spot until after the race at Bristol Motor Speedway, when Allgaier claimed the lead. He held that position for a season-high five races before McDowell reclaimed the the No. 1 slot.

NASCAR Nationwide Series Top-Five Raybestos Rookie Standings

    Driver                    Team     Points
1  Michael McDowell    JTG-D      88
2  Scott Lagasse Jr.     CJM        86
3  Brendan Gaughan    RWR       86
4  Justin Allgaier          Penske    86
5  Michael Annett        Germain   68

Up Next: Lowe�s Motor Speedway

The NASCAR Nationwide Series is off next weekend, but returns May 23 for the CARQUEST Auto Parts 300 at Lowe�s Motor Speedway. 

Kyle Busch swept both races at LMS last season.

Brian Vickers (No. 32 Dollar General Toyota), the 2003 series champion, is the defending pole winner � the second of two poles in 2008.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series action kicks off at  7:00 p.m. on ESPN2, and green flag is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m.

FAST FACTS

Next Race: Diamond Hill Plywood 200
The Place: Darlington Raceway
The Date: Friday, May 8
The Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
The Distance: 200.8 miles / 147 laps
TV: ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET
Radio: Sirius NASCAR Radio / MRN
2008 Winner: Tony Stewart
2008 Pole: Carl Edwards

Event Schedule: Friday-Final Practice 8:30-11:00 a.m.; Qualifying 3:10 a.m.

Top 10  Driver Standings

     Driver                  Points
1   Kyle Busch           1,414
2   Carl Edwards         1,332
3   Jason Leffler          1,216
4   Joey Logano          1,213
5   Brad Keselowski    1,201
6   David Ragan           1,139
7   Jason Keller           1,063
8   Michael McDowell  1,021
9   Scott Lagasse Jr.   998
10 Steve Wallace        967

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 5, 2009) – Richard Gray, a licensed crew member for the No. 177 team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, has been indefinitely suspended from NASCAR for violating the sanctioning body’s substance abuse policy.

On April 30, Gray was found to have violated Sections 12-1 (actions detrimental to stock car racing) and 7-5 (violation of the NASCAR substance abuse policy) of the 2009 NASCAR rule book.

Your company logo could be here call   317-443-2385 for details