Post by jkelly57 on Jul 9, 2006 9:14:10 GMT -6
*also posted in the Illinois racing forum*
Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Mears captured Saturday afternoon's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.42 Dodge crossed the finish line 0.525 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards.
The victory was the first of Mears' Busch career.
"I've been racing for four years in the NASCAR (Nextel Cup) Series and one year in Busch and to get a win is so special," said Mears. "Great call by Brad Parrott, that guy is a hell of a crew chief and he did me a great job today."
Edwards brought the field to the green flag for 200 laps of racing. The green lasted only one lap before Denny Hamlin got loose and spun out. Fortunately he didn't hit anything and no one hit him and everyone continued on.
Edwards led six laps before yielding to a suddenly quick Kurt Busch. The "elder" Busch, who has a win and three top-fives in four Busch Series starts, kept the lead until lap 37 when Edwards retook the lead.
Meanwhile, points leader Kevin Harvick pitted on the first caution and still made his way into the top-10 by lap 40.
Edwards' lead reached 4.370 seconds after 60 laps as the field began green- flag pit stops.
Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears and Harvick, all on different pit strategies from Edwards, assumed the race lead.
Finally, everyone cycled through and Edwards returned to the lead on lap 85.
Through the mid-point of the 200-laps event, Edwards held a 0.214-second margin and led 49 laps. He was on a record-setting pace that had just 15 cars on the lead lap with him.
Busch jumped past Edwards again for the lead on lap 104 as Edwards fell all the way to third behind Jeff Burton as well.
Busch, Edwards and Kenseth remained out on the track after another caution on lap 133. It was a gamble as the rest of the field pitted for fuel and tires...possibly for the last time.
Kasey Kahne, Mears and Burton were the first off pit road, in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Of the three, Burton looked the fastest and slipped underneath Kahne for fifth on lap 150.
A lap later Kahne spun across the infield to bring out another caution and at least give the three leaders some time to get back into the race. Busch, Edwards and Kenseth all pitted and came out in 10th through 12th place.
Edwards made a bold move on the restart and got by Busch as they passed Cale Gale. The pole winner was up to sixth after the first lap, but Mears and Burton were putting some distance between themselves and Edwards.
Mears and Burton were 3.355 seconds up on third-place Clint Bowyer and Edwards was stuck behind Harvick in fifth as the field passed the 165-lap mark. It appeared that Edwards wouldn't be able to catch the leader without a caution.
But a caution flag for debris with 30 laps remaining put Edwards within reach of the leaders. The green flag dropped with 28 laps remaining and Mears jumped away from Burton, who struggled to get past the lapped car of Greg Biffle. He finally made the pass underneath Biffle, but was more than half-a-second behind Mears.
Mears led Burton by 1.577 seconds with 20 laps to go. Edwards was up to third, having just passed Bowyer on lap 181, but could he get to the leaders?
Mears was still pulling away, but his pit crew radioed for him to 'try and conserve a little fuel.'
Edwards caught Burton with 15 laps to go and quickly went around the outside for second place.
The No.60 Ford was 2.097 seconds back with 13 laps to go. Mears was still conserving fuel and Edwards was charging so it might be a race afterall.
But Mears must have seen the No.60 coming and stepped it up and the margin was actually increased with 10 laps to go. It was still 1.808 seconds with just six miles to go.
Mears cruised to the checkered flag without challenge and earned his first- ever Busch win. He did, however, run out of fuel on the victory lap.
Harvick finished fourth and leads Edwards in the standings by 323 points (2,922 - 2,599).
The next race is set for Saturday, July 15th at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.
07/08 18:59:46 ET
powered by www.sportsnetwork.com.
Joliet, IL (Sports Network) - Casey Mears captured Saturday afternoon's USG Durock 300 Busch Series race at the Chicagoland Speedway. The No.42 Dodge crossed the finish line 0.525 seconds ahead of Carl Edwards.
The victory was the first of Mears' Busch career.
"I've been racing for four years in the NASCAR (Nextel Cup) Series and one year in Busch and to get a win is so special," said Mears. "Great call by Brad Parrott, that guy is a hell of a crew chief and he did me a great job today."
Edwards brought the field to the green flag for 200 laps of racing. The green lasted only one lap before Denny Hamlin got loose and spun out. Fortunately he didn't hit anything and no one hit him and everyone continued on.
Edwards led six laps before yielding to a suddenly quick Kurt Busch. The "elder" Busch, who has a win and three top-fives in four Busch Series starts, kept the lead until lap 37 when Edwards retook the lead.
Meanwhile, points leader Kevin Harvick pitted on the first caution and still made his way into the top-10 by lap 40.
Edwards' lead reached 4.370 seconds after 60 laps as the field began green- flag pit stops.
Matt Kenseth, Casey Mears and Harvick, all on different pit strategies from Edwards, assumed the race lead.
Finally, everyone cycled through and Edwards returned to the lead on lap 85.
Through the mid-point of the 200-laps event, Edwards held a 0.214-second margin and led 49 laps. He was on a record-setting pace that had just 15 cars on the lead lap with him.
Busch jumped past Edwards again for the lead on lap 104 as Edwards fell all the way to third behind Jeff Burton as well.
Busch, Edwards and Kenseth remained out on the track after another caution on lap 133. It was a gamble as the rest of the field pitted for fuel and tires...possibly for the last time.
Kasey Kahne, Mears and Burton were the first off pit road, in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively. Of the three, Burton looked the fastest and slipped underneath Kahne for fifth on lap 150.
A lap later Kahne spun across the infield to bring out another caution and at least give the three leaders some time to get back into the race. Busch, Edwards and Kenseth all pitted and came out in 10th through 12th place.
Edwards made a bold move on the restart and got by Busch as they passed Cale Gale. The pole winner was up to sixth after the first lap, but Mears and Burton were putting some distance between themselves and Edwards.
Mears and Burton were 3.355 seconds up on third-place Clint Bowyer and Edwards was stuck behind Harvick in fifth as the field passed the 165-lap mark. It appeared that Edwards wouldn't be able to catch the leader without a caution.
But a caution flag for debris with 30 laps remaining put Edwards within reach of the leaders. The green flag dropped with 28 laps remaining and Mears jumped away from Burton, who struggled to get past the lapped car of Greg Biffle. He finally made the pass underneath Biffle, but was more than half-a-second behind Mears.
Mears led Burton by 1.577 seconds with 20 laps to go. Edwards was up to third, having just passed Bowyer on lap 181, but could he get to the leaders?
Mears was still pulling away, but his pit crew radioed for him to 'try and conserve a little fuel.'
Edwards caught Burton with 15 laps to go and quickly went around the outside for second place.
The No.60 Ford was 2.097 seconds back with 13 laps to go. Mears was still conserving fuel and Edwards was charging so it might be a race afterall.
But Mears must have seen the No.60 coming and stepped it up and the margin was actually increased with 10 laps to go. It was still 1.808 seconds with just six miles to go.
Mears cruised to the checkered flag without challenge and earned his first- ever Busch win. He did, however, run out of fuel on the victory lap.
Harvick finished fourth and leads Edwards in the standings by 323 points (2,922 - 2,599).
The next race is set for Saturday, July 15th at the New Hampshire International Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire.
07/08 18:59:46 ET
powered by www.sportsnetwork.com.