Jeff Gordon Gets First Win Of Season At Infineon
Jeff Gordon combined patience with a fast race car Sunday at Infineon Raceway to grab a record ninth road-course victory.
NASCAR’s
top "Road Warrior" started 11th in the 43-car field and took the lead
for the first time on Lap 49 of the 110-lap Dodge/Save Mart 350.
Two-time
series champion Terry Labonte grabbed the lead for a while with a slick
fuel strategy, but Gordon was able to hunt NASCAR’s "Iceman" down,
regain the lead on Lap 88 and eventually pull away for his fifth
victory on the picturesque 1.99-mile, 11-turn circuit.
It was a
big weekend for Gordon, who acknowledged that he told family and
friends Saturday night he is engaged to his longtime girlfriend Ingrid
Vandebosch.
"This has been just an awesome weekend," said Gordon, who led a race-high 44 laps.
Kasey Kahne Wins From The Pole At Michigan
With rain on the horizon and 37 cars between him and the lead, Kasey
Kahne knew he had his work cut out Sunday at Michigan International
Speedway.
"We knew we had a great car and we just started
battling back," said Kahne, who fell behind on Lap 47 of the 3M
Performance 400 when debris on his radiator caused his engine to
overheat and sent the youngster to the pits under the green flag.
That
knocked the popular 26-year-old racer, the 2004 Cup rookie of the year,
back to 38th in the 43-car field, a lap behind the leaders. But a
caution for light rain just seven laps later allowed Kahne to regain
the lead lap and it didn’t take long for him to drive back into
contention.
"We took two tires there once and passed some cars
on pit road and then we were able to get past some cars on the track,"
said Kahne, who started his No. 9 Evernham Motorsports Dodge from the
pole and got back to the front before a downpour cut the race short by
71 laps on the 2-mile oval.
Kahne, earning a series-best fourth
victory of the season and his third from the top qualifying spot, said,
"It’s pretty crazy to win in the rain and be in the right place there
at the end. But we did have the best car."
Denny Hamlin Wins At Pocono
Denny Hamlin overcame a blown tire early and solidified his spot as
NASCAR’s top rookie, surging late to win his first career Nextel Cup
race Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
Hamlin held off the challengers –
including teammate Tony Stewart — on the final five tenuous laps of
the Pocono 500 after the caution came out late following Jeff Gordon’s
scary accident.
Gordon’s brakes failed, sending his car hard into the wall with 10 laps left and destroying his No. 24 Chevrolet.
Gordon
was never able to turn, cutting through the grass and mud, leaving
parts of his car like brake pads strewn across the track. After several
tense moments, he climbed out — but did not finish the race and was
knocked out of the top 10 in the point standings.
The race was
red-flagged and delayed for 13 minutes as the foam SAFER barrier blocks
were put back together. The hood of Gordon’s car flew back as it was
driven off the track.
Gordon was checked and released at the infield medical center and said he was fine other than a minor headache.
Matt Kenseth Wins At Dover International Speedway
Matt Kenseth and Jamie McMurray made it a 1-2 finish for Roush Racing. And what a thrilling finish it was.
McMurray
was the driver to beat, holding the lead for most of the final 90 laps
Sunday until the patient Kenseth made his move, passing two drivers
late before the leader was firmly in view.
Kenseth reached
McMurray in lapped traffic, raced side-by-side, then dipped low on a
clean pass off the fourth turn with three laps left and pulled away to
win at Dover International Speedway.
"They were leaving me
plenty of room to pass," Kenseth said. "I just caught him at the right
time and was able to just barely squeeze in front."
Kevin
Harvick finished third, followed by Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch. Jimmie
Johnson maintained the points lead, finishing sixth after starting a
season-worst 42nd.
