Nationwide Roundup: Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway
Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Denny Hamlin (20) and Kyle Busch combined to lead 128 of the races 147 laps via nascar-assets.americaneagle.com. Credit: John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR
For those of you who tuned into the Nationwide race Friday night, you got to see a heck of a show. It came down to the wire, with two identically painted Z-Line Design Toyotas finishing first and second.
It was the Gibbs Toyota with the number 20 painted on the side that edged out the one with 18 on it.
I don’t mean to nitpick here, but why is Denny Hamlin driving in the Nationwide Series? Denny has a surgically repaired knee and is only running about 8 or 9 Nationwide races this year.
Why have him race any? Joey Logano could be the point leader at this point. Yet Denny is still being pressed into service. It can’t be a sponsorship thing, since Z-Line was on both cars, and Denny’s other start showed the Interstate Batteries colors.
It seems like the most logical thing is to have Denny focus on winning a Cup title, and have Joey Logano focus on a Nationwide title. I’ve said this before, but why hasn’t Logano raced a FULL year in Nationwide? You would think that he would want all the seat time he could get.
Anyway, Results, Points and MORE after THE JUMP!
Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Pts | Status |
1 | 1 | 20 | Denny Hamlin | Z-Line Designs | 147 | 195 | Running |
2 | 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Z-Line Designs | 147 | 175 | Running |
3 | 4 | 88 | Jamie McMurray | Hellmann's Chevy | 147 | 165 | Running |
4 | 15 | 38 | Kasey Kahne | Great Clips | 147 | 165 | Running |
5 | 12 | 10 | Jason Leffler | ABF Freight | 147 | 155 | Running |
6 | 5 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Copart Ford | 147 | 150 | Running |
7 | 3 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Ruby Tuesday Dodge | 147 | 146 | Running |
8 | 7 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Rheem Ruud Chevy | 147 | 142 | Running |
9 | 17 | 32 | Brian Vickers | Dollar General Toyota | 147 | 138 | Running |
10 | 16 | 98 | Paul Menard | 147 | 134 | Running | |
11 | 29 | 15 | Michael Annett | Pilot Travel Centers | 147 | 130 | Running |
12 | 27 | 66 | Steve Wallace | 5-Hour Energy | 147 | 127 | Running |
13 | 40 | 01 | Mike Wallace | One Hour Air Conditioning Chevy | 147 | 129 | Running |
14 | 28 | 41 | Kids Embrace Car Seats Chevy | 147 | 126 | Running | |
15 | 18 | 23 | Coleman Pressley | R3 Motorsports Chevy | 147 | 118 | Running |
16 | 9 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Diamond-Waltrip Racing | 147 | 115 | Running |
17 | 6 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Wireless Dodge | 147 | 117 | Running |
18 | 34 | 34 | Tony Raines | Long John Silver's Chevy | 147 | 109 | Running |
19 | 20 | 81 | Michael McDowell | MOBILE-Shop.com Dodge | 147 | 106 | Running |
20 | 32 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Royal Purple / AAA Parking Chevy | 147 | 103 | Running |
21 | 38 | 35 | Jason Keller | upillar.com Chevy | 147 | 100 | Running |
22 | 19 | 70 | Mark Green | Royal Purple Chevy | 147 | 97 | Running |
23 | 39 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | NEMCO Motorsports Chevy | 147 | 94 | Running |
24 | 36 | 26 | Brian Keselowski | K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge | 147 | 91 | Running |
25 | 13 | 11 | Brian Scott | AccuDoc Solutions | 145 | 88 | Running |
26 | 37 | 07 | Danny Efland | Honoring Americans Chevy | 145 | 85 | Running |
27 | 41 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Odor Block Ford | 145 | 82 | Running |
28 | 42 | 09 | TheGPSStore.com / Garmin Ford | 144 | 79 | Running | |
29 | 21 | 7 | Steve Arpin | JR Motorsports Chevy | 138 | 76 | Running |
30 | 35 | 16 | Matt Kenseth | Coupons.com Ford | 134 | 73 | Accident |
31 | 26 | 1 | James Buescher | Andre for Governor Chevy | 93 | 70 | Running |
32 | 25 | 40 | Mike Bliss | Westerman Companies Chevy | 89 | 67 | Accident |
33 | 11 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point Casino & Hotel Toyota | 84 | 64 | Running |
34 | 33 | 61 | Josh Wise | Ride to the Rock for Autism Ford | 81 | 61 | Overheating |
35 | 8 | 27 | Greg Biffle | Redman Moist Snuff Ford | 79 | 58 | Accident |
36 | 23 | 43 | Scott Lagasse Jr. | American Red Cross Ford | 74 | 55 | Running |
37 | 14 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Roush Fenway Racing Ford | 64 | 52 | Accident |
38 | 31 | 56 | Kevin Lepage | Mac Hill Motorsports Chevy | 39 | 49 | Ignition |
39 | 10 | 21 | Clint Bowyer | Zaxby's Chevy | 36 | 46 | Accident |
40 | 22 | 90 | Danny O'Quinn Jr. | Chevy | 30 | 48 | Vibration |
41 | 24 | 91 | David Gilliland | Chevy | 29 | 40 | Brakes |
42 | 30 | 73 | Derrike Cope | Charter Dodge | 22 | 37 | Brakes |
43 | 43 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge | 11 | 34 | Handling |
I may have said last week that Matt Kenseth would put the 16 Ford into the top 30 in points. Well, he didn’t. Kenseth wrecked on lap 134 and that just about ended the 16’s march into saftey.
Just one week removed from Brak Kesolowski getting fined for bad shocks comes this:
“NASCAR officials confiscated the left-front shock from the No. 38 Braun Racing Toyota driven by Kasey Kahne when the shock failed to meet postrace specifications after the Royal Purple 200 at Darlington Raceway”. - Kenny Bruce scenedaily.com
Now, Kahne didn’t win, but he was a top 5 car. This may start up the debate yet again over what is an appropriate penalty when this happens.
It was a bit of a shakeup in the points, Kyle Busch (who will not be running full time) pulls into second over Kevin Harvick.
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | Roger Penske | 1,615 |
| 2 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Interstate/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,560 |
| 3 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's/Rheem Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,552 |
| 4 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Copart/Fastenal Ford | Jack Roush | 1,416 |
| 5 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Dodge | Roger Penske | 1,406 |
| 6 | 98 | Paul Menard | Menards Ford | Jack Roush | 1,325 |
| 7 | 20 | Joey Logano | GameStop/Rudy's Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,228 |
| 8 | 27 | Greg Biffle (PC) | Red Man Moist Ford | Baker Curb | 1,097 |
| 9 | 34 | Tony Raines | Long John Silver's Chevy | Bob Jenkins | 1,049 |
| 10 | 10 | Jason Leffler | ABF/Great Clips Toyota | Todd Braun | 1,049 |
| 11 | 99 | Trevor Bayne | Aaron's Dream Machine Toyota | Daimond Waltrip | 1,047 |
| 12 | 11 | Brian Scott | AccuDoc Toyota | Harry Scott Jr | 1,043 |
| 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | South Point Hotel Toyota | Rusty Wallace | 1,040 |
| 14 | 66 | Stephen Wallace | 5 Hour Energy Toyota | Rusty Wallace | 1,023 |
| 15 | 15 | Michael Annett | Hype Energy/Pilot Toyota | Bob Germain | 977 |
| 16 | 43 | Scott Lagasse Jr | Dr G Mall Ford | Baker Curb | 970 |
| 17 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Federated Auto Parts Chevy | Jay Robinson | 958 |
| 18 | 01 | Mike Wallace | Monster Deisel Chevy | Lori Davis | 945 |
| 19 | 1 | James Beuscher | Pheonix Chevy | James Finch | 903 |
| 20 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | DAB Constructors Chevy | Andrea Nemechek | 870 |
| 21 | 81 | Michael McDowell | D.H. Griffin Dodge | Pat MacDonald | 868 |
| 22 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Ford | Ed Rensi | 857 |
| 23 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Dollar General Toyota | Todd Braun | 793 |
| 24 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Citi Financial Ford | Jack Roush | 782 |
| 25 | 40 | Mike Bliss | Key Motorsports Chevy | Curtis Key Sr. | 774 |
| 26 | 26 | Brian Keselowski | K-Motorsports Dodge | Bob Keselowski | 747 |
| 27 | 32 | Brian Vickers | Dollar General/Beringer Toyota | Todd Braun | 733 |
| 28 | 35 | Jason Keller | Upillar.com Chevy | Mark Smith | 712 |
| 29 | 10 | Kelly Bires | Toyota | Todd Braun | 673 |
| 30 | 16 | Colin Braun | Con-Way Freight Ford | Jack Roush | 626 |
| 31 | 88 | Jamie McMurray | Hellmanns Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 606 |
| 32 | 61 | Josh Wise | Specialty Racing Ford | Charlie Shoffner | 605 |
| 33 | 70 | Shelby Howard | Foretravel Chevy | Mary Louise Miller | 546 |
| 34 | 23 | Robert Richardson | Mahindra Tractors Chevy | Robert Richardson | 533 |
| 35 | 21 | John Wes Townley | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 484 |
| 36 | 21 | Clint Bowyer | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 478 |
| 37 | 09 | Scott Riggs | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 465 |
| 38 | 05 | Willie Allen | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 425 |
| 39 | 27 | Scott Wimmer | Red Man Moist Ford | Baker Curb | 422 |
| 40 | 70 | Mark Green | Chevy | Mary Louise Miller | 400 |
| 41 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Racing W/ Jesus Dodge | Cindy Shepherd | 377 |
| 42 | 38 | Kasey Kahne | Great Clips Toyota | Ralph Braun | 375 |
| 43 | 20 | Denny Hamlin | Interstate/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 370 |
| 44 | 07 | Danny Efland | Shred 360 Chevy | Thomas Efland | 368 |
| 45 | 56 | Kevin Lepage | Revolucion Chevy | John McNelly | 359 |
| 46 | 73 | Derrike Cope | Asset Protect Dodge | Derrike Cope | 345 |
| 47 | 23 | Coleman Pressley | R3 Chevy | Robert Richardson | 297 |
| 48 | 23 | Johnny Sauter | R3 Chevy | Robert Richardson | 291 |
| 49 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Motorsports Dodge | Kay Keselowski | 285 |
| 50 | 41 | Stanton Barrett | Fuel Doctor Chevy | Rick Ware | 269 |
| 51 | 90 | Danny O'Quinn | MSRP Chevy | DHM | 254 |
| 52 | 7 | Steve Arpin | GoDaddy.com Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 249 |
| 53 | 83 | Johnny Borneman III | Red Line Oil Dodge | John Borneman Jr. | 244 |
| 54 | 10 | David Reutimann | Beringer Toyota | Todd Braun | 227 |
| 55 | 42 | Parker Kligerman | Smith Ironworks Dodge | Eddie Smith | 225 |
| 56 | 16 | Matt Kenseth | Coupons.com Ford | Jack Roush | 207 |
| 57 | 91 | David Gilliland | MSRP Chevy | DHM | 203 |
| 58 | 40 | Jeff Green (PC) | BadBoyBuggies Chevy | Curtis Key Sr. | 197 |
| 59 | 4 | Tony Stewart | Ritz/Oreo Chevy | Tony Stewart | 195 |
| 60 | 75 | Bobby Gerhart | Lucas Oil Chevy | Bob Schacht | 191 |
| 61 | 7 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy.com Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 183 |
| 62 | 7 | Landon Cassill | GoDaddy.com Chevy | Rick Hendrick | 167 |
| 63 | 04 | Jeremy Clements | Bourdreaux Butt Paste Chevy | Johnny Davis | 161 |
| 64 | 09 | Chad McCumbee | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 149 |
| 65 | 0 | Chrissy Wallace | Chevy | Johnny Davis | 125 |
| 66 | 09 | Patrick Sheltra | RAB Ford | Jay Robinson | 114 |
| 67 | 02 | Andy Ponstein | Carlocate.com Chevy | Corrie Stott | 100 |
| 68 | 96 | Johnny Chapman | K-Motorsports Dodge | Brian Keselowski | 98 |
| 69 | 09 | Jason Bowles | Sunrise Ford | Jay Robinson | 88 |
| 70 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr | Hellmanns Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 81 |
| 71 | 05 | Victor Gonzalez Jr | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 76 |
| 72 | 21 | Casey Mears | Zaxby's Chevy | Richard Childress | 70 |
| 73 | 09 | Hermie Sadler | TNA Wrestling Ford | Jay Robinson | 67 |
| 74 | 10 | Mikey Kile | Toyota | Todd Braun | 64 |
| 75 | 05 | David Starr | 31-W Insulation Chevy | Wayne Day | 61 |
| 76 | 71 | Justin Lofton | Weekend Warriors TV.com Toyota | Tom Deloach | 52 |
| 77 | 52 | Donnie Neuenberger | IHOP Chevy | Jimmy Means | 49 |
| 78 | 10 | Chad Blount | Toyota | Todd Braun | 43 |
| 79 | 04 | Brad Teague | Chevy | Gene Vess | 37 |
The owners championship also got a bit of a shakeup on top with Denny’s win:
| 1 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | Roger Penske | 1,615 |
| 2 | 20 | Joey Logano/Denny Hamlin | GameStop/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,598 |
| 3 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Interstate/Z-Line Toyota | Joe Gibbs | 1,560 |
| 4 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John's Chevy | Delana Harvick | 1,552 |
| 5 | 32 | Brian Vickers/Reed Sorenson | Dollar General/Beringer Toyota | Todd Braun | 1,483 |
| 6 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Copart/Fastenal Ford | Jack Roush | 1,416 |
| 7 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Dodge | Roger Penske | 1,406 |
| 8 | 27 | Greg Biffle (PC)/Johnny Sauter/Scott Wimmer | Red Man Moist Ford | Baker Curb | 1,353 |
| 9 | 98 | Paul Menard | Menards Ford | Jack Roush | 1,325 |
| 10 | 88 | Dale Earnhardt Jr/Kelly Bires/Jamie McMurray | Hellmanns Chevy | Dale Earnhardt Jr. | 1,230 |
Not much else in the news front. I should have a preview of Dover in the next few days.
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