Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9

labontefanboy Administrator Posts: 1,535	Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Jan 31, 2015 16:29:36 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by labontefanboy on Jan 31, 2015 16:29:36 GMT -5 Screenshots from Atlanta coming later tonight, but for now here's the entry list for Phoenix:

flyer101999
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Jan 31, 2015 17:36:29 GMT -5 via mobile

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Post by flyer101999 on Jan 31, 2015 17:36:29 GMT -5

I wonder if JJ Yeley can keep up his streak of good finishes. Aside from the miscue at Charlotte when he was in the top 5 and his Texas destruction, he's been really good the second half of this year, especially in the chase.

Last Edit: Jan 31, 2015 17:58:42 GMT -5 by flyer101999

Deleted
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Jan 31, 2015 18:43:37 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2015 18:43:37 GMT -5

Bobby Ricky looks at...The Checker Auto Parts 500:

Two races to go, and things are looking to get pretty hot here in Phoenix (no pun intended). 11 of the 12 Chase drivers come into this race still mathematically in championship contention. So now the question rises: Will we have 11 drivers fighting for the championship at Homestead?

If you ask me, I'd have to say...no. 11 drivers may still be in contention at this point, but 4 of those drivers are so far out of the points lead that their championship hopes are in danger of ending this weekend. After his sour run at Atlanta, Kyle Busch dropped from 4th to 8th in points, and another bad finish this Sunday will most likely end those championship hopes of his. Carl Edwards and Jimmie Johnson also have some work to do to keep their championship hopes alive, and Travis Kvapil...well, he's 252 points out of the lead. It would take a victory or something close to it to keep that 77 team fightin' for the Nextel Cup come Homestead.

So, who do I think will be competing for the championship? Obviously, I still stand by my claim that Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart, and Jeff Burton are the biggest threats, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that Kvapil will be the only one to fall out of championship contention this weekend. Busch, Edwards and Johnson are all likely to do what they can to keep themselves in championship contention, and although I expect Kvapil to do the same, I don't have as much faith in him as I do in Busch, Edwards and Johnson.

Well, no matter what happens on Sunday, I think we can all agree that this battle in the desert will be heated all the way through (again, no pun intended)!

labontefanboy
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 14:02:17 GMT -5

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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 1, 2015 14:02:17 GMT -5

Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500
We're here in sunny Avondale, Arizona at the Phoenix International Raceway. 42 cars are on the grid for the Checker Auto Parts 500, the penultimate race of the 2007 season. Up and down pit road, crew members are stretching their limbs, prepared for 312 laps of tense racing. The points are incredibly tight, with just 1 of the 12 drivers eliminated from Chase contention thus far. The 11 that remain know that it is do or die time, with just one weekend until the season finale. Expect some wild moves by drivers on the brink of elimination, but don't expect the drivers atop the standings to take it easy. With several drivers clustered at the top, each knows that they need to score as many points as possible to position themselves best for Homestead. Now, let's head trackside for the command to start engines.

Green flag: Clint Bowyer brings the 42 car field to the green flag as we get underway on a crystal clear afternoon here in Phoenix.

Lap 3: Car up in smoke! It's Travis Kvapil! Just 2 laps complete and we have one Chaser falling by the wayside. Kvapil needed a miracle to stay alive heading into Homestead, but this DNF will ensure that his 2007 Championship aspirations are over.

Lap 51: Lots of green flag racing so far as Bowyer continues to dominate. Here's the first Chase update of the day (Harvick and Kvapil will be excluded as they are out of contention):
Clint Bowyer-1st
Jimmie Johnson-2nd
Kyle Busch-5th
Tony Stewart-6th
Jeff Burton-7th
Brian Vickers-10th
Casey Mears-11th
Jeff Gordon-13th
Ryan Newman-15th
Carl Edwards-28th

Lap 74: Paul Menard hits pit road, a little bit early for scheduled stops, though.

Lap 80: Martin Truex Jr. pits for 4 tires and fuel.

Lap 81: Now the cycle begins. Kurt Busch, Mears, Ward Burton, Elliott Sadler, Edwards, Johnny Benson, Michael Waltrip, Reed Sorenson, Jamie McMurray, and Dave Blaney come down for service.

Lap 82: Bowyer relinquishes the lead to Johnson as he pits along with Johnny Sauter, Jon Wood, Kyle Petty, Bobby Hamilton Jr., Bobby Labonte, and Ken Schrader.

Lap 83: Harvick, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, Gordon, Joe Nemechek, Todd Kluever, Denny Hamlin, and Jason Leffler are on pit road.

Lap 84: Johnson pits with Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Stewart, J.J. Yeley, Vickers, Newman, Stephen Leicht, Jeremy Mayfield, Greg Biffle, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Aric Almirola, and Scott Riggs.

Lap 85: Mike Bliss comes down for service and gets 5 bonus points as he leads a lap on pit road.

Lap 86: Harvick is now the race leader.

Lap 95: Bowyer has gotten back to the lead.

Lap 101: Chase Update #2:
Bowyer-1st
Johnson-4th
Busch-5th
Burton-6th
Stewart-8th
Mears-9th
Vickers-11th
Gordon-12th
Newman-14th
Edwards-23rd

Lap 128: Riggs to pit road for an unscheduled stop.

Lap 156: Menard pits, again slightly ahead of schedule. Looks like the #1 team is getting poor fuel mileage today.

Lap 157: Halfway through, so here's a full-field rundown, with RCR dominating thus far with 4 in the top 5.
Lead lap: 07, 33, 29, 48, 31, 5, 24, 20, 11, 17, 25, 78, 2, 12, 88, 90, 01, 6, 16, 15, 02, 99, 21, 0, 38, 23, 45, 18, 34
-1 lap: 55, 09, 43, 41, 42, 22, 19, 92, 8, 9
-2 laps: 1
-4 laps: 91
OUT: 77

Lap 158: Kurt Busch takes the lead for the first time today. Other than during the cycle of green flag stops, RCR has led every lap today.

Lap 161: Mears to pit road to begin the next cycle.

Lap 162: Bowyer and Sorenson pit.

Lap 163: Benson, Waltrip, Blaney, McMurray, Sauter, Edwards, and Sadler make stops.

Lap 164: Busch gives the lead back to Harvick and makes his way down pit road. He's followed by Hamilton Jr., Sauter, Nemechek, Ward Burton, Petty, and Truex Jr.

Lap 165: Johnson picks up the race lead as Harvick ducks down pit road for service along with Almirola, Yeley, Vickers, Schrader, and our points leader Newman.

Lap 166: Jeff Burton, Gordon, Stewart, Kenseth, Earnhardt Jr., Mayfield, Leicht, Kluever, Biffle, Wood, and Labonte to pit road.

Lap 167: The cycle finishes with Johnson, Kyle Busch, Leffler, Bliss, and Kahne.

Lap 167: CAUTION FLAG #1-Big crash on the backstretch! Reed Sorenson's car slowed for unknown reasons, and his teammate McMurray plowed into the rear end with nowhere to go and chaos ensued. A number of Chasers are involved! Vickers and Gordon are both junk, and Johnson took some hefty rear end damage as well. The 48 team will press on, but Vickers and Gordon will retire for the afternoon. They will need a miracle to stay in contention for next weekend. Clint Bowyer is the other Chaser with significant damage. His chances of winning look to be over, but he will stay in the race and in Chase contention. In addition to the 5 already mentioned, Sauter, Nemechek, Ward Burton, Benson, Petty, Hamilton Jr., Labonte, and Riggs are involved.

Lap 172: Green flag back out with 141 to go. Kurt Busch leads Jeff Burton, Harvick, Kyle Busch, and Mears.

Lap 179: For the second week in a row, Jason Leffler exits early with an engine failure.

Lap 201: 112 to go, and it's time for our 3rd Chase update of the day.
Burton-2nd
Busch-4th
Mears-5th
Newman-9th
Edwards-10th
Stewart-12th
Johnson-18th
Bowyer-30th, -2 laps
Gordon-34th, OUT
Vickers-37th, OUT

Lap 219: Jon Wood is the latest victim of an engine failure.

Lap 241: Menard to pit road.

Lap 243: Mears pits.

Lap 244: Blaney and Truex Jr. pit this time by.

Lap 245: Yeley and Edwards make their way down pit road.

Lap 246: Waltrip, Newman, Biffle, and Sadler all pit.

Lap 247: Leader Kurt Busch makes his final stop of the day with Schrader, his younger brother Kyle, Leicht, and Stewart. Jeff Burton is now in front.

Lap 248: Burton now dives down pit road after grabbing 5 crucial bonus points. Harvick, Hamlin, Hamilton Jr., Almirola, Bliss, Kahne, Mayfield, and Kluever follow.

Lap 249: Kenseth leads a lap on pit road as he is joined by Earnhardt Jr., Johnson, and Labonte to finish up the cycle.

Lap 250: The cycle of stops has been completed and Jeff Burton now has the race lead with a 1.2 second lead over Kurt Busch. Burton is the only Chase driver yet to score a victory this season. Could today be the day?

Lap 251: Reed Sorenson pits.

Lap 258: Bowyer pits. He's slightly off cycle and several laps down, but if the running order maintains from this point onwards, he will still have a shot heading into Homestead.

Lap 273: Truex Jr. with an unscheduled trip to pit road. And here comes Tony Stewart behind him! Smoke was running 8th at the time...and it is awfully quiet in the #20 pit box. Stewart's engine has gone sour! He's got no power, and now the 20 team is packing up the pit box. Stewart rolls to the garage area, done for the day. He was set up to have a good chance to make some noise next weekend, but this 30th place finish will be a brutal blow to his chances. He'll certainly be alive, but it will be a Herculean task for Tony to get his 2nd championship now.

Lap 288: 25 laps left for Burton. He's got an even 2 seconds over Kurt Busch.

Lap 301: Final Chase update for the day, and it only includes drivers still on track.
Burton-1st
Mears-4th
Busch-6th
Newman-7th
Edwards-9th
Johnson-22nd, -2 laps
Bowyer-29th, -6 laps

As it stands right now, Burton likely will take over the points lead and head to the season finale with a slim, 12 point advantage over Newman. With 12 laps to go, can the veteran driver earn his first win of the season and head into the final race looking to secure his first championship as a lame duck driver?

Lap 303: 10 to go, Burton beginning to stretch it out. Busch's #33 machine sits 2.4 seconds back.

Lap 308: 5 to go, Busch now 2.9 back.

Lap 312: White flag for Burton! One more lap and he's got the win and the points lead!

Checkered flag: Jeff Burton seals the deal and finally gets his first win of the season as RCR completes a 1-2-3 finish. Even sweeter than the victory for Burton is the points lead. He takes it from Ryan Newman and heads to the season finale with a 12 point advantage. 6 drivers remain eligible, but it looks like it will come down the Burton and Newman, although Casey Mears is not far enough back to be left out of the conversation. Today, Carl Edwards, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, and Travis Kvapil were all mathematically eliminated.

Results:

Driver Standings:

Owner Standings:

labontefanboy
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 14:15:22 GMT -5

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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 1, 2015 14:15:22 GMT -5

Jack Roush post-race: 4 cars in the top 13 is a great day for us. Phoenix is not typically a track we do good at, so I'm happy with the effort the guys put out today. All the crewmen put out a 100% effort every lap today and I couldn't be more satisfied.

Matt Kenseth post-race: I think we're finally starting to find our groove again. I'm really happy with the way we fought the changing track conditions and improved over the course of the race. I'm definitely ready for this nightmarish season to end, but the last few races have me looking forward to the fresh start in 2008.

Carl Edwards post-race: Now that we're officially eliminated, we can head into Homestead with smiles on our faces. We've had a great year, and I couldn't be more proud of the effort this team has put it. I want to thank Jack Roush for giving me this opportunity back in 2004 and allowing me to develop over the past 2 season into a Chaser this year, and I want to thank Bob Osborne for guiding me and helping me mature. Next weekend will certainly be bittersweet and I'll miss Roush Racing and all of my crew members. All I want at Homestead is to be able to party in Victory Lane one last time with these guys, they mean so much to me.

Todd Kluever post-race: Great race today. We steadily improved and had awesome pit stops. Our first half wasn't fantastic and we were mired mid-pack, but we started to hit on some stuff midway through and we improved to 11th at the finish. Proud of my team.

Greg Biffle post-race: 13th isn't fantastic but at Phoenix that's big for us. We just need one more solid performance next week and I'll feel good about where we're headed going into next season.

Chad' Senior Member Posts: 512	Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 15:20:19 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Chad' on Feb 1, 2015 15:20:19 GMT -5 Another lap down finish, not bad.

labontefanboy
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 17:19:20 GMT -5

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Post by labontefanboy on Feb 1, 2015 17:19:20 GMT -5

Screenshots:

Clint Bowyer brings the 42 car field to the green flag at Phoenix.

Travis Kvapil blows an engine early on.

The big wreck begins and cars scatter across the backstretch.

Cars pile into the big crash.

Jason Leffler blows an engine.

Jon Wood's engine goes up in smoke.

Tony Stewart coasts down pit road.

Jeff Burton wins at Phoenix.

Ryan81398 Moderator ARCA-Re/Max Series Host Posts: 279	Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 17:47:12 GMT -5 Quote Select Post Deselect Post Link to Post Member Give Gift Back to Top Post by Ryan81398 on Feb 1, 2015 17:47:12 GMT -5 Rick Hendrick - "Well, if not for the 42, we would have had a good day. And now we only have 1 driver left in the Chase... Let's hope Kyle can get it done next week."

Deleted
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 18:35:32 GMT -5

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Post by Deleted on Feb 1, 2015 18:35:32 GMT -5

Bobby Ricky's Post-Race Analysis:

It finally happened.

Jeff Burton broke out of the doldrums, and got that first win of the season. And just in time, too! With the points lead now his once again, he's on his way to Homestead with all the advantages he could ask for!

Regarding the eliminated drivers, I was right about Kvapil falling out, though it didn't exactly happen the way I was expecting, but a stroke of bad luck ended championship hopes for 75% of Hendrick Motorsports, and for Jack Roush...well, there's always next year. Simply put, Kyle Busch still gives Hendrick hope, but 5 other drivers are in contention for this championship. And young gun Kyle's at the bottom of that list lookin' up.

In just one week, we will crown a champion. I'll see you all at Homestead!

Last Edit: Feb 1, 2015 18:35:52 GMT -5 by Deleted

jbraun57
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Race 35 - Checker Auto Parts 500 - CHASE RACE #9 Feb 1, 2015 20:28:12 GMT -5

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Post by jbraun57 on Feb 1, 2015 20:28:12 GMT -5

WOW! An amazing day for Richard Childress Racing here at Phoenix. Jeff Burton grabs his FIRST win of the season, and will take over the point lead with ONE race left! Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick finished 2-3 right behind him, which made the day all the better. Clint grabbed the pole and led 144 of the laps, although caught up in an incident forcing him to finish 6 laps down. On to Homestead and hopefully a Championship!