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Darlington Night Race Recap Lap To Lap
By: Gregg A. Shultz RaceFanVote.com
hit refresh for live updates during the race
As the sun was setting and the cars paced the track getting ready for the drop of the green flag at
Darlington there were a lot of questions looming in everyone’s head. How would the new pavement
change the racing, who could make it to the end and more importantly who could overcome the “track
too tough to tame”?
The drop of the green flag showed Dale Earnhardt Jr. passing Greg Biffle on the low side for the lead
and then two laps in the drama had started. Elliott Sadler got loose going into turn 4 and sandwiched
Tony Stewart into the wall damaging his own car as well. Tony continued, Sadler had to go to the garage
to repair a bent control arm.
By lap 7 the “Darlington stripe” count was 4.
Lap 10, yet another victim as The no. 45 car driven by Kyle Petty gets into the wall.
Lap 12 Sam Hornish Jr. gets into the wall and brings out the caution. Stripe count 8 including Dale Jr.
who brushed the wall.
Lap 16 Kyle Petty goes to the garage. Sadler still in the garage as well as Hornish.
Lap 18 Kyle Busch takes the lead away from Dale Jr.
Lap 22 Kyle Busch opens up a 2 second lead on Biffle and Montoya brushes the wall without incident.
Lap 24 the sun is beginning to set and the track conditions are starting to change.
Lap 36 and the top 5 are Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 38 Kyle Busch reports that his brakes are ‘junk’.
Lap 58, green flag pit stops begin. Jimmie Johnson first of the top 5 to pit. Lap 60 Biffle pits. Lap 62
green flag pit stops cycling through.
Lap 72 pit stops cycle through and Kyle Busch is your leader. Ryan Newman gets a pass-thru penalty
for s tire violation.
Lap 81 your top 5 are Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon.
Lap 92 Fox airs the ridiculous Kasey Kahne dancing commercial. Bobby Labonte flirting with the top 10.
25 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 98 Sam Hornish back on the track. Greg Biffle drawing up on Kyle Busch trying to get the lead back.
The top three drivers (Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr.) have almost a 12 second lead on the field.
Lap 111 lead change Biffle passes Kyle Busch in lap traffic. Robby Gordon off of the track with a battery
problem.
Lap 114 scheduled green flag stops begin. Lap 125 pits stops cycling through.
Lap 126 Kyle Busch has the lead after green flag pit stops. Kyle Busch tags Biffle getting him loose and
drives by for the lead. Biffle made an incredible save. Kyle Busch lets Biffle take the lead and then
passes him back.
Lap 134 the top 5 is Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr., Martin Truex Jr. & Travis Kvapil. Kyle Busch is still
complaining of brake issues. Lap 138 Kyle "Wild Thing" Busch is slipping and sliding.
Lap 141 caution for debris. Kasey Kahne is the beneficiary of the yellow in not going a lap down. The
caution will put all of the drivers back on the same pit sequence. Dale Jr. comes out of the pits 1st.
Loose lugnut on Kyle Busch sets him 23rd at the end of the longest line. Can we petition Geico about
the dancing caveman commercials? Lap 145 Green Flag.
Lap 147 Kevin Harvick hard into the wall and he heads to the garage area. Caution is out on lap 148.
Paul Menard gets the lucky dog. Ryan Newman keeps from going two laps down. The top 5 are Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon & Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 151 Green Flag. Dale Earnhardt Jr. the leader.
Lap 160 Greg Biffle passes Dale Jr. for the lead. Kyle Busch up to 13th after the penalty.
Lap 169 Dale Jr. falls back to 3rd place. Possible electrical problems with the no. 48 car.
Lap 175 Dale Jr. gets into the wall and Jeff Gordon takes over 3rd. Junior maintains 4th after the brush
with the wall.
Lap 181 Kyle Busch moves into the top ten and Travis Kvapil maintaining an impressive 7th. Biffle
reporting a bad vibration. 23 cars on the lead lap.
172 laps to go, Lead change, Martin Truex Jr. Biffle off the track with reported transmission problems.
Travis Kvapil brushes the wall and maintains 10th.
167 to go, green flag stops begin. Leaders are coming in. Dale Jr. takes the lead. David Ragan misses
pit road, Hornish bounces the car off of the wall, Jamie McMurray temporarily takes the lead.
160 to go Biffle take the lead because of pitting early. Reported transmission problems in error.
158 to go the nachos are here so updates might suffer for a few laps.
144 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops back to 7th.
139 laps to go Dave Blaney moves up to 4th in his Bill Davis Racing Toyota
129 laps to go, yellow flag debris on the track from Greg Biffle's 3M Ford Fusion. Bobby Labonte gets
the free pass. Denny Hamlin takes over the lead.
Under caution Newman and Vickers get into each other at the entrance of pit road. Newman off track,
Vickers continues. Green flag with 127 to go. Denny Hamlin leading. Biffle out of the race. Complaining
of not being able to keep the wheels tight and a mechanical failure.
120 to go, Brian Vickers gets hard into the wall in the middle of turn 3 & 4 and brings out the 6th caution.
The field pits minus Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Jimmie Johnson. They will be your top three
coming to the green. Kurt Busch Fuel only.
115 to go, green flag, Hendrick cars 1-2-3
109 laps to go Jeff Gordon has a 1 second lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr.
107 Laps to go Kyle Busch takes 2nd away from Dale Jr. [the crowd boos] Jeff Gordon continues to lead
with a second and a half margin.
98 laps to go, Lead change, Kyle Busch Gets past Jeff Gordon. Casey Mears gets into the wall smoking
like the left front was down. No caution for the incident. 19 cars on the lead lap.
88 laps to go, 7th caution for debris on the backstretch. Possibly from A.J. Allmendinger's no. 83 Red
Bull Toyota. Pit stops, all the leaders come. The no. 24, 18, 88, 99 & 6 come out of the pits in that order.
82 laps to go, FOX reporting lugnut issues may be from faulty glue. Kyle Busch in the lead, Dale Jr.
second, Jeff Gordon gives up 3rd to Carl Edwards. Chunks of concrete are being reported between the
rim and tire bead causing balance issues. Possible causing shake and loosening lug nuts?
65 laps to go, 8th caution with Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin get together spinning Denny Hamlin.
21 cars on the lead lap. Pit stops occur just short of being late enough to make the balance of the race
on fuel.
61 laps to go, about to take the green flag. Kyle Busch still leading. Some cars are coming in to top off
with fuel to try to gamble on a long green run. Edwards second, Jeff Gordon, David Ragan and Dale Jr.
round out the top 5. 57 to go Dale Jr. takes 4th from Ragan who is also reporting a Roush-typicle
vibration.
53 laps to go, Kyle Busch builds a 1.5 second lead over Carl Edwards who is close on making it to the
end on fuel. Dale Jr. is reporting chattering the tire badly through the turns and pushing hard with no
front grip. Dave Blaney has moved into the top 5. Top five is Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon,
Dale Jr. & Dave Blaney.
40 laps to go Kyle Busch opens the lead up to 2 seconds over Carl Edwards. Encountering lap traffic.
31 laps to go, good racing all through the field. Some cars still bouncing off of the wall. Darlington
stripes too many to count.
24 laps to go, everyone holding steady with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. closing up. The
question is if the leaders can make it on fuel. Gordon reporting a tight condition, Dale Jr. loose.
19 to go, Dave Blaney running in 7th may not have enough fuel to make it, Tony Stewart about to get
his lap back the old fashioned way and Jimmie Johnson about to drop out of the top ten. Kyle busch has
a 3.5 second lead over second Edwards.
13 laps to go, fuel strategy not looking like an issue. Some cars might not make it, but of no
consequence to the leaders. Only eight cautions so far.
9 to go, David Ragan and Dale Jr. battling for 4th.
5 to go, Kyle Busch with a 4 second lead over Edwards. DW is touting Kyle once again.
2 laps to go. Everything holding constant.
Kyle Busch wins
Top Ten:
Kyle Busch * Points Leader
Carl Edwards
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
David Ragan
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Travis Kvapil
Dave Blaney
Jeff Burton
By: Gregg A. Shultz RaceFanVote.com
hit refresh for live updates during the race
As the sun was setting and the cars paced the track getting ready for the drop of the green flag at
Darlington there were a lot of questions looming in everyone’s head. How would the new pavement
change the racing, who could make it to the end and more importantly who could overcome the “track
too tough to tame”?
The drop of the green flag showed Dale Earnhardt Jr. passing Greg Biffle on the low side for the lead
and then two laps in the drama had started. Elliott Sadler got loose going into turn 4 and sandwiched
Tony Stewart into the wall damaging his own car as well. Tony continued, Sadler had to go to the garage
to repair a bent control arm.
By lap 7 the “Darlington stripe” count was 4.
Lap 10, yet another victim as The no. 45 car driven by Kyle Petty gets into the wall.
Lap 12 Sam Hornish Jr. gets into the wall and brings out the caution. Stripe count 8 including Dale Jr.
who brushed the wall.
Lap 16 Kyle Petty goes to the garage. Sadler still in the garage as well as Hornish.
Lap 18 Kyle Busch takes the lead away from Dale Jr.
Lap 22 Kyle Busch opens up a 2 second lead on Biffle and Montoya brushes the wall without incident.
Lap 24 the sun is beginning to set and the track conditions are starting to change.
Lap 36 and the top 5 are Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch, Earnhardt Jr., Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 38 Kyle Busch reports that his brakes are ‘junk’.
Lap 58, green flag pit stops begin. Jimmie Johnson first of the top 5 to pit. Lap 60 Biffle pits. Lap 62
green flag pit stops cycling through.
Lap 72 pit stops cycle through and Kyle Busch is your leader. Ryan Newman gets a pass-thru penalty
for s tire violation.
Lap 81 your top 5 are Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon.
Lap 92 Fox airs the ridiculous Kasey Kahne dancing commercial. Bobby Labonte flirting with the top 10.
25 cars on the lead lap.
Lap 98 Sam Hornish back on the track. Greg Biffle drawing up on Kyle Busch trying to get the lead back.
The top three drivers (Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr.) have almost a 12 second lead on the field.
Lap 111 lead change Biffle passes Kyle Busch in lap traffic. Robby Gordon off of the track with a battery
problem.
Lap 114 scheduled green flag stops begin. Lap 125 pits stops cycling through.
Lap 126 Kyle Busch has the lead after green flag pit stops. Kyle Busch tags Biffle getting him loose and
drives by for the lead. Biffle made an incredible save. Kyle Busch lets Biffle take the lead and then
passes him back.
Lap 134 the top 5 is Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle, Dale Jr., Martin Truex Jr. & Travis Kvapil. Kyle Busch is still
complaining of brake issues. Lap 138 Kyle "Wild Thing" Busch is slipping and sliding.
Lap 141 caution for debris. Kasey Kahne is the beneficiary of the yellow in not going a lap down. The
caution will put all of the drivers back on the same pit sequence. Dale Jr. comes out of the pits 1st.
Loose lugnut on Kyle Busch sets him 23rd at the end of the longest line. Can we petition Geico about
the dancing caveman commercials? Lap 145 Green Flag.
Lap 147 Kevin Harvick hard into the wall and he heads to the garage area. Caution is out on lap 148.
Paul Menard gets the lucky dog. Ryan Newman keeps from going two laps down. The top 5 are Dale
Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon & Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 151 Green Flag. Dale Earnhardt Jr. the leader.
Lap 160 Greg Biffle passes Dale Jr. for the lead. Kyle Busch up to 13th after the penalty.
Lap 169 Dale Jr. falls back to 3rd place. Possible electrical problems with the no. 48 car.
Lap 175 Dale Jr. gets into the wall and Jeff Gordon takes over 3rd. Junior maintains 4th after the brush
with the wall.
Lap 181 Kyle Busch moves into the top ten and Travis Kvapil maintaining an impressive 7th. Biffle
reporting a bad vibration. 23 cars on the lead lap.
172 laps to go, Lead change, Martin Truex Jr. Biffle off the track with reported transmission problems.
Travis Kvapil brushes the wall and maintains 10th.
167 to go, green flag stops begin. Leaders are coming in. Dale Jr. takes the lead. David Ragan misses
pit road, Hornish bounces the car off of the wall, Jamie McMurray temporarily takes the lead.
160 to go Biffle take the lead because of pitting early. Reported transmission problems in error.
158 to go the nachos are here so updates might suffer for a few laps.
144 to go, Dale Earnhardt Jr. drops back to 7th.
139 laps to go Dave Blaney moves up to 4th in his Bill Davis Racing Toyota
129 laps to go, yellow flag debris on the track from Greg Biffle's 3M Ford Fusion. Bobby Labonte gets
the free pass. Denny Hamlin takes over the lead.
Under caution Newman and Vickers get into each other at the entrance of pit road. Newman off track,
Vickers continues. Green flag with 127 to go. Denny Hamlin leading. Biffle out of the race. Complaining
of not being able to keep the wheels tight and a mechanical failure.
120 to go, Brian Vickers gets hard into the wall in the middle of turn 3 & 4 and brings out the 6th caution.
The field pits minus Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. & Jimmie Johnson. They will be your top three
coming to the green. Kurt Busch Fuel only.
115 to go, green flag, Hendrick cars 1-2-3
109 laps to go Jeff Gordon has a 1 second lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr.
107 Laps to go Kyle Busch takes 2nd away from Dale Jr. [the crowd boos] Jeff Gordon continues to lead
with a second and a half margin.
98 laps to go, Lead change, Kyle Busch Gets past Jeff Gordon. Casey Mears gets into the wall smoking
like the left front was down. No caution for the incident. 19 cars on the lead lap.
88 laps to go, 7th caution for debris on the backstretch. Possibly from A.J. Allmendinger's no. 83 Red
Bull Toyota. Pit stops, all the leaders come. The no. 24, 18, 88, 99 & 6 come out of the pits in that order.
82 laps to go, FOX reporting lugnut issues may be from faulty glue. Kyle Busch in the lead, Dale Jr.
second, Jeff Gordon gives up 3rd to Carl Edwards. Chunks of concrete are being reported between the
rim and tire bead causing balance issues. Possible causing shake and loosening lug nuts?
65 laps to go, 8th caution with Martin Truex Jr. and Denny Hamlin get together spinning Denny Hamlin.
21 cars on the lead lap. Pit stops occur just short of being late enough to make the balance of the race
on fuel.
61 laps to go, about to take the green flag. Kyle Busch still leading. Some cars are coming in to top off
with fuel to try to gamble on a long green run. Edwards second, Jeff Gordon, David Ragan and Dale Jr.
round out the top 5. 57 to go Dale Jr. takes 4th from Ragan who is also reporting a Roush-typicle
vibration.
53 laps to go, Kyle Busch builds a 1.5 second lead over Carl Edwards who is close on making it to the
end on fuel. Dale Jr. is reporting chattering the tire badly through the turns and pushing hard with no
front grip. Dave Blaney has moved into the top 5. Top five is Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon,
Dale Jr. & Dave Blaney.
40 laps to go Kyle Busch opens the lead up to 2 seconds over Carl Edwards. Encountering lap traffic.
31 laps to go, good racing all through the field. Some cars still bouncing off of the wall. Darlington
stripes too many to count.
24 laps to go, everyone holding steady with Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. closing up. The
question is if the leaders can make it on fuel. Gordon reporting a tight condition, Dale Jr. loose.
19 to go, Dave Blaney running in 7th may not have enough fuel to make it, Tony Stewart about to get
his lap back the old fashioned way and Jimmie Johnson about to drop out of the top ten. Kyle busch has
a 3.5 second lead over second Edwards.
13 laps to go, fuel strategy not looking like an issue. Some cars might not make it, but of no
consequence to the leaders. Only eight cautions so far.
9 to go, David Ragan and Dale Jr. battling for 4th.
5 to go, Kyle Busch with a 4 second lead over Edwards. DW is touting Kyle once again.
2 laps to go. Everything holding constant.
Kyle Busch wins
Top Ten:
Kyle Busch * Points Leader
Carl Edwards
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt Jr.
David Ragan
Matt Kenseth
Denny Hamlin
Travis Kvapil
Dave Blaney
Jeff Burton
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| Submit your comments about the story or the topic. Please no rude or defamatory comments. Addressing other poster's comments will be edited if deemed to be insulting or rude. |
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I sort of missed the fact that the track
wasn't so hard on tires. It would have
made for a more interesting race if they
had to pit more often and not just when
they needed fuel. Normally tires made
such a difference that different strategies
were more effective, so it made the race
kind of boring.
Louis R. AL
wasn't so hard on tires. It would have
made for a more interesting race if they
had to pit more often and not just when
they needed fuel. Normally tires made
such a difference that different strategies
were more effective, so it made the race
kind of boring.
Louis R. AL
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I think that was something, the problems
that the Roush cars were having. Biffle
was pissed. Maybe he'll start this week
talking with other teams about going to
drive for them and leaving. He's a better
driver than he is on the ladder at Roush.
He could be someone else's #1 driver
easily.
James Hunter, VA
that the Roush cars were having. Biffle
was pissed. Maybe he'll start this week
talking with other teams about going to
drive for them and leaving. He's a better
driver than he is on the ladder at Roush.
He could be someone else's #1 driver
easily.
James Hunter, VA
I just wanted to say that your lap to lap
report was well done. You covered more
of the action than some others that I have
seen. Good Job!
Cindy Perkins Michigan
Writer's Note: Thanks!
report was well done. You covered more
of the action than some others that I have
seen. Good Job!
Cindy Perkins Michigan
Writer's Note: Thanks!
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