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NASCAR - Nationwide - Feed the Children 300 Preview
From The Sports Network
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| DATE: Friday, June 29th |
| SITE: Kentucky Speedway (2000) -- Sparta, Kentucky |
| TRACK: 1.5-mile oval - 1,662 feet (Frontstretch); 1,600 feet (Backstretch) |
| CAPACITY: 117,000 (Grandstand seating) |
| ANNUAL: 12th |
| TELEVISION: ESPN 2 |
| ANNOUNCERS: Allen Bestwick, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree |
| RADIO: Motor Racing Network (MRN)/SIRIUS NASCAR Radio |
| START TIME: 7:30 p.m. (ET)/Green Flag: 7:45 p.m. (ET) |
| DEFENDING CHAMPION: Brad Keselowski |
| RUNNER-UP: Kevin Harvick |
| POLE WINNER: Elliott Sadler (Finished 5th) |
| LAPS: 200 |
| MILES: 300 |
| QUALIFYING RECORD: Carl Edwards, 2005 (181.287 m.p.h.) |
| RACE RECORD: Brad Keselowski, 2011 (138.408 m.p.h.) |
| TOTAL PURSE: $1,089,927 (2011 figures) |
| PAYOUTS: 1st Place - $74,100; 2nd Place - $55,325; 3rd Place - $37,375 |
| 2011 Finish |
| Finish | Driver | Start | Finish | Driver | Start |
| 1 | Brad Keselowski | 5 | 6 | Kenny Wallace | 19 |
| 2 | Kevin Harvick | 6 | 7 | Michael Annett | 21 |
| 3 | Kyle Busch | 41 | 8 | Carl Edwards | 2 |
| 4 | Kasey Kahne | 18 | 9 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr | 3 |
| 5 | Elliott Sadler | 1 | 10 | Joey Logano | 4 |
| 2011 Feed the Children 300 Facts and Figures |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 138.408 m.p.h. |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 10 minutes, 3 seconds |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 1.180 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 24 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 8 among 6 drivers |
| POLE WINNER: Elliott Sadler (173.734 m.p.h.) |
| Past Feed the Children 300 Winners (Starting Position) Car -- Speed |
| 2011 -- Brad Keselowski (5th) -- Dodge -- 138.408 m.p.h. (race record) |
| 2010 -- Joey Logano (1st) -- Toyota -- 115.286 m.p.h. |
| 2009 -- Joey Logano (1st) -- Toyota -- 127.796 m.p.h. |
| 2008 -- Joey Logano (1st) -- Toyota -- 135.508 m.p.h. |
| 2007 -- Stephen Leicht (6th) -- Ford -- 117.698 m.p.h. |
| 2006 -- David Gilliland (4th) -- Chevrolet - 116.004 m.p.h. |
| 2005 -- Carl Edwards (1st) -- Ford -- 117.111 m.p.h. |
| 2004 -- Kyle Busch (2nd) -- Chevrolet -- 126.642 m.p.h. |
| 2003 -- Bobby Hamilton Jr (2nd) -- Ford -- 136.123 m.p.h. |
| 2002 -- Todd Bodine (6th) -- Chevrolet -- 127.164 m.p.h. |
| 2001 -- Kevin Harvick (11th) -- Chevrolet -- 118.590 m.p.h. |
| NOTE: Formerly called Outback Steakhouse 300 (2001), Kroger 300 (2002), Meijer |
| 300 (2003-10). |
| Past Feed the Children 300 Pole Winners (Finish) |
| 2011 -- Elliott Sadler -- 5th |
| 2010 -- Joey Logano -- 1st |
| 2009 -- Joey Logano -- 1st |
| 2008 -- Joey Logano -- 1st |
| 2007 -- Regan Smith -- 19th |
| 2006 -- Denny Hamlin -- 3rd |
| 2005 -- Carl Edwards -- 1st |
| 2004 -- Martin Truex Jr -- 6th |
| 2003 -- Stacy Compton -- 4th |
| 2002 -- Scott Riggs -- 4th |
| 2001 -- Jay Sauter -- 9th |
| Last Race Results |
| RACE: Sargento 200 (June 23rd) |
| SITE: Road America -- Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin |
| MILES: 202.4 |
| LAPS: 50 |
| WINNER: Nelson Piquet Jr |
| RUNNER-UP: Michael McDowell |
| THIRD: Ron Fellows |
| FOURTH: Max Papis |
| FIFTH: Sam Hornish Jr |
| POLE WINNER: Nelson Piquet Jr (Finished 1st) |
| TIME OF RACE: 2 hours, 22 minutes, 35 seconds |
| AVERAGE SPEED: 85.171 m.p.h. |
| MARGIN OF VICTORY: 2.258 seconds |
| CAUTION FLAGS: 5 for 8 laps |
| LEAD CHANGES: 9 among 8 drivers |
| LAP LEADERS: N. Piquet Jr. 1-2; M. McDowell 3-4; R. Fellows 5-8; B. Scott |
| 9-13; M. McDowell 14-15; M. Papis 16; M. Paludo 17-20; J. |
| Villeneuve 21-30; S. Hornish Jr. 31-33; N. Piquet Jr. 34-50. |
| Feed the Children 300 Entry List |
| Car | Driver, Hometown | Car/Name |
| 01 | Mike Wallace (St. Louis, MO) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 2 | Elliott Sadler (Emporia, VA) | Chevrolet/One Main Financial |
| 3 | Austin Dillon (Lewisville, NC) | Chevrolet/Bass Pro Shops |
| 4 | Danny Efland (Irmo, SC) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr (Olive Brnch,MS) | Ford/Sam's Club/Cargill |
| 7 | Danica Patrick (Roscoe, IL) | Chevrolet/GoDaddy.com |
| 08 | Tim Andrews (Concord, NC) | Ford/Randy Hill Racing |
| 10 | Jeff Green (Owensboro, KY) | Toyota/TBA |
| 11 | Brian Scott (Boise, ID) | Toyota/Dollar General |
| 12 | Sam Hornish Jr. (Defiance, OH) | Dodge/Wurth |
| 14 | Eric McClure (Chilhowie, VA) | Toyota/Hefty/Reynolds Wrap |
| 15 | Blake Koch (West Palm Beach, FL) | Chevrolet/Rick Ware Racing |
| 17 | Tanner Berryhill (Bixby, OK) | Toyota/New Gulf Resources |
| 18 | Denny Hamlin (Chesterfield, VA) | Toyota/Dollar General |
| 19 | Tayler Malsam (Seattle WA) | Toyota/G-Oil/Ryobi |
| 20 | Joey Logano (Middletown, CT) | Toyota/TBA |
| 22 * | Brad Keselowski (Rochester Hls, MI) | Dodge/Discount Tire |
| 23 | Jamie Dick (Albuquerque, NM) | Chevrolet/Viva Auto Group |
| 24 | Benny Gordon (DuBois, PA) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 30 | James Buescher (Plano, TX) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 31 | Justin Allgaier (Riverton, IL) | Chevrolet/Brandt |
| 33 | Kevin Harvick (Bakersfield, CA) | Chevrolet/Hunt Brothers Pizza |
| 36 | Ryan Blaney (High Point, NC) | Chevrolet/Seal Wrap |
| 38 | Brad Sweet (Grass Valley. CA) | Chevrolet/Great Clips |
| 39 | Josh Richards (Shinnston, WV) | Ford/NSW Kids |
| 40 | Erik Darnell (Beach Park, FL) | Chevrolet/themotorsportsgroup.com |
| 41 | Timmy Hill (Port Tobacco, MD) | Ford/poynt.com |
| 42 | Josh Wise (Riverside, CA) | Chevrolet/Curtis Key Plumbing |
| 43 | Michael Annett (Des Moines, IA) | Ford/Pilot Flying J |
| 44 | Mike Bliss (Milwaukie, OR) | Toyota/TBA |
| 46 | Chase Miller (Denver, NC) | Chevrolet/themotorsportsgroup.com |
| 47 | Matt DiBenedetto (Grass Valley, CA) | Chevrolet/Curtis Key Plumbing |
| 50 | T.J. Bell (Reno, VA) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 51 | Jeremy Clements (Spartanburg, SC) | Chevrolet/Clements Automotive |
| 52 | To Be Announced | Chevrolet/Metro Ministries |
| 54 | Kurt Busch (Las Vegas, NV) | Toyota/Monster Energy |
| 70 | Johanna Long (Pensacola, FL) | Chevrolet/Keen Parts |
| 71 | John Jackson (Ellenton, FL) | Toyota/Crash Claims R US |
| 74 | Mike Harmon (Birmingport, AL) | Chevrolet/Koma Unwind |
| 75 | Scott Riggs (Bahama, NC) | Chevrolet/Rick Ware Racing |
| 81 | Jason Bowles (Ontario, CA) | Toyota/American Majority |
| 87 | Joe Nemechek (Lakeland, FL) | Toyota/AM/FM Energy Wood & Pellet |
| 88 | Cole Whitt (Alpine, CA) | Chevrolet/Degree Men |
| 89 | Morgan Shepherd (Conover, NC) | Chevrolet/TBA |
| 98 | Reed Sorenson (Peachtree City, GA) | Ford/Shelby Engine Co. |
| 99 | Kenny Wallace (St. Louis, MO) | Toyota/American Ethanol |
| Leading Contenders (Finish the last nine years) |
| Driver | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
| Brad Keselowski | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 4th | 3rd | 3rd | Won |
| Kevin Harvick | --- | --- | --- | 6th | --- | --- | --- | --- | 2nd |
| Elliott Sadler | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 5th |
| Ricky Stenhouse Jr | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 9th | --- | 9th |
| Joey Logano | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | Won | Won | Won | 10th |
| Justin Allgaier | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 5th | 8th | 19th |
| Denny Hamlin | --- | --- | 15th | 3rd | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| James Buescher | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | 14th | --- | --- | --- |
| Kurt Busch | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Sam Hornish Jr | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Austin Dillon | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Danica Patrick | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Mover of the Week |
| Kurt Busch - Started in the 22nd position and finished 8th |
| Sports Network Selections |
| Pick to Win - Joey Logano |
| Darkhorse - Danica Patrick |
| Last Week's Pick to Win (Austin Dillon) - Finished 18th |
| Last Week's Darkhorse (Tayler Malsam) - Finished 30th |
| NOTES: |
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Although not eligible for the 2012 title on the Nationwide Circuit,
defending champion Brad Keselowski has been on fire in his last three races,
posting three consecutive top-10 finishes, including a win at Charlotte.
Following three straight top-4 finishes in this race, Keselowski defeated Kevin
Harvick by 1.180 seconds for the first of five wins in 2011. Keselowski has
recorded six top-five's in 11 starts this year and now owns 18 Nationwide
Series titles.
Keselowski, the 2010 series champion, took the lead from Harvick after a round
of pit stops under caution on lap 66. He then ran in front for 132 of the
remaining 136 laps. But Keselowski had to conserve fuel in the late-stages of
the race as he held off Harvick at the finish.
Joey Logano completed the hat trick in 2010, as he recorded his third
consecutive victory at Kentucky Speedway. In addition, Logano won all three of
these races from the pole. Logano became the first driver in series history to
win three consecutive races at the same track after starting on the pole for
each one of those events. When Logano won his first Nationwide race at
Kentucky in 2008, he became the youngest winner at age 18 years and 21 days.
Logano outran Carl Edwards in the closing laps for his seventh career
Nationwide title. Logano passed Brendan Gaughan and took the lead for good
with less than 25 laps remaining. Edwards then chased down Logano within the
last 10 laps, but he held off Edwards by 0.67 seconds.
Logano, who is the active leader in laps led at this race with 202, has an
average finish of 3.250 in four starts, all top-10s (3 wins). He is still the
driver to beat this week, as he has won the last two Nationwide starts and five
of 11 this season.
In 2009, Logano passed Kyle Busch with just 10 laps remaining and then held
off his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate by 1.625 seconds for his second straight
victory in this race. The victory was one of five wins in 2009, as Logano
recorded 16 top-10 finishes in 22 Nationwide races.
Pole sitter Logano claimed his first Nationwide Series title, as he defeated
Scott Wimmer by over two seconds. With 54 laps remaining, Logano wrestled the
lead from Kyle Busch and held on for a 2.259 seconds victory. Logano led five
times for 76 laps, while Busch led four times for a race-high 85 laps, but
placed 30th. With the win, Logano joined Carl Edwards as the only pole sitters
to win this race.
In 2007, Stephen Leicht claimed the lead on lap 188 of the 200-lap race and
held on for his first career Nationwide Series victory. Pole sitter Regan
Smith, who led for 45 laps, finished a distant 19th. Brad Coleman, who led for
36 laps, finished second, 2.011 seconds behind Leicht.
Back in 2006, David Gilliland recorded his first career Nationwide Series
title, as he crossed the finish line 0.306 of a second ahead of J.J. Yeley.
Gilliland, who won in only his seventh Nationwide Series start, led the final
11 laps in front of an estimated crowd of 73,000. Pole sitter Denny Hamlin
finished third, while Kyle Busch, who led for a race-high 61 laps, placed
13th. Yeley held the lead from lap 136 to 189, but could not hold off
Gilliland.
Kentucky Speedway became the 43rd track at which the NASCAR Nationwide Series
has competed, the 20th Superspeedway. It is the second track in the Bluegrass
State that has held a NASCAR Nationwide Series race. The Louisville Speedway
(.354 mile ) hosted two races, 1988 won by Tommy Ellis and 1989 won by Tommy
Houston. Kenny Wallace won the pole for the 1989 race.
In 2005, Carl Edwards dominated this race, leading 89 of the first 100 laps,
but still needed to pass Martin Truex Jr on the white flag lap to win the
then, 2005 Meijer 300 by less than a second over Truex Jr. The win was the
third of Edwards' five-win season, helping him to a third-place finish in the
final Nationwide points standings.
The next Nationwide Series race is the July 6 Subway Jalapeno 250 at Daytona
International Speedway. Joey Logano is the defending race winner.
06/26 17:02:40 ET
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As of June 26, 2012, at 05:02 PM ET
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