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Kyle Busch dominates Brickyard 

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Crown Royal Presents the Combat Wounded Coalition 400

Photo by: Robert Laberge

Kyle Busch outran the entire field Sunday evening with a 2 second lead in double overtime for his second straight win at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Busch led 149 laps, a race record, for back-to-back wins at the 2.5-mile oval. Busch becomes the first driver since 2009 to win two years in a row.

“This Toyota was awesome today. Man, it was just so fast.” Busch said, “not even some of my teammates could challenge me. We just had it hooked up. It was like it was on rails.”

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver beat his teammate in double overtime for the victory. A incident involving Trevor Bayne and Clint Bowyer sent the race into overtime, however they did not make it to the official overtime line before a spin by Jamie McMurray brought out the last caution.

Although Joey Logano contended for the win on the first restart, Busch’s restart in double overtime propelled him ahead of the field for his fourth victory this season.

While Busch was celebrating his win, Stewart Haas Racing driver and co-owner, Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, per request from Stewart, took a celebratory lap around the racetrack. Stewart plans to retire at the end of the year and finished 11th in his last running at his home track.

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From Penalty to Victory

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Photo by: Brian Lawdermilk

Kyle Larson overcame the obstacles he faced in Wednesday night’s Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby to score his second Camping World Truck Series victory and his first series victory at Eldora Speedway.

“It means a lot, especially losing the way I did the two years I ran,” Larson said during his celebration. “Thanks to everyone on this GMS Racing team, DC Solar for coming on-board for this, this is very special for them.”

Larson was leading on lap 52 when he blew a tire and spun out, bringing out the caution. He was forced to do a pass-through penalty after NASCAR determined that he intentionally spun to bring out the caution.

Larson was not to be denied, however. After regaining his lap, he charged to the front of the field and battled with Bobby Pierce until Pierce crashed into the turn 4 wall after suffering transmission issues. Pierce, who finished second in last year’s event, led 102 of 150 laps and finished 25th.

After Larson reclaimed the lead with 30 to go, he extended his lead as the remaining laps dwindled and won by a 0.767-second margin of victory.

Last year’s winner, Christopher Bell, went home second, followed by Rico Abreu, Jake Griffin, and Tyler Reddick.

Eldora is familiar territory for Tyler Reddick

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Daytona International Speedway - Day 7

Photo by: Jonathan Ferrey

When the Camping World Truck Series roll onto the track at Eldora Speedway on Tuesday to prepare for the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby, the driver of the Brad Keselowski Racing No. 29 Cooper Standard F-150 will practically be at home.

Before making his way to the NASCAR scene, Reddick raced in the Dirt Late Model Series, breaking records as he went. The, then 15-year-old, became the youngest winner of a feature event in the series. He also holds the record for youngest driver to make the World 100 at Eldora Speedway.

So why are these two facts so important? It’s because Tyler Reddick’s average at Eldora is 7.0, given that is only from two races, but the young talent knows his way around the infamous dirt track owned by NASCAR veteran, Tony Stewart.

Every week Reddick applies his knowledge from his dirt days and puts them to the test. His truck is often described by announcers as “too loose”, but more often than not it is just the right fit for Reddick.

And when it’s not?

He makes wicked saves that are often only seen by drivers who have years and years of experience under their belts. Earlier this year at Charlotte Motor Speedway when Reddick’s truck became looser as the laps continued to advance, Reddick overcame his obstacles for a fourth-place finish.

A win at Eldora would not only qualify Reddick to run for the series championship, the chase-style format implemented for the 2016 season to bring more exciting racing and prepare the young stars for the Sprint Cup Series, but it would be a highlight victory for the California native’s resume. One that already includes a Daytona victory and a 2nd place finish in the 2015 title run.

Brad Keselowski’s win at Kentucky comes down to fuel mileage

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts

Photo by: Matt Sullivan

Brad Keselowski held more than an eight second lead over Carl Edwards in the remaining laps of the Quaker State 400 Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway.

That lead deteriorated as he went into fuel saving mode to make it to grab the checkers for his second win in two weeks.

“We knew the fuel mileage,” Keselowski said, “We went out and we set a really fast pace there on that restart and just using fuel, and then it became obvious that you were going to have to save fuel at the end, but I already used so much.”

The Penske driver did not have fuel to do a victory donut, needing a push to victory lane, but he made the distance that mattered to clinch his spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, where only 8 races remain before the start of the 2016 playoffs.

This was the first race at Kentucky Speedway since the repave and reconfiguration, causing top contention drivers like Hendrick Motorsports driver, Jimmie Johnson, and Joey Logano slamming into the walls and ending their day to compete for the win.

“As long as you weren’t around anybody, it was great.” Tony Stewart said after scoring a fifth place victory in his final start at the 1.5-mile track.

Keselowski, who now has three wins at Kentucky, reiterated the Stewart-Haas Racing’s statement.

“These cars were tough to drive today, but a good tough. This was a hard-fought battle, and I’m really proud of everybody on the 2 crew to get win number four and take that first place.”

Brad Keselowski scores Daytona victory

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coke Zero 400 Powered By Coca-Cola

Photo by: Matt Sullivan

Brad Keselowski knows his way around restrictor-plate tracks, scoring five victories since his Sprint Cup start in 2009, so it’s no surprise that he dominated his way to victory lane during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway.

Keselowski led 115 of 161 laps while avoiding damage from multiple wrecks Saturday night before capturing his first win at Daytona. The victory is also Penske’s 100th Cup victory.

“It’s been a kick in the you-know-what,” Keselowski said about scoring the Daytona victory, “I got down on myself here. We came down here for the 500 and quite honestly we ran like dog crap, but my team worked on it. I didn’t give up on them.

“I believe in my team and my team believes in me and we went to work and we put together a better car, and it really showed today with a great effort from the whole team. I’m really proud of everybody.”

Although Keselowski has had little to no success at Daytona, his continued effort has helped him gain more knowledge on what to expect at Daytona and its sister track, Talladega Superspeedway.

“I always thought it was one of his strengths for sure,” Paul Wolfe, crew chief of the No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts Ford said. “Brad is a thinker and he studies and he tries to understand, so I know he’s put his time in to try to understand how the draft works and how to be better at it.”

Keselowski, with the help of his teammate Joey Logano, held off Kurt Busch and Kyle Busch in NASCAR overtime for his 20th career Cup win, which happened to be during Keselowski’s 250th Cup start.

“It was a good effort for us for sure. The wins are never easy to come by, and I think this one means a lot to me for sure because looking at our past here, it hasn’t been all that rosy.” Keselowski said, “Usually I’m loading up the car and about to be to the airport, so it’s nice to be here and have a great finish.”

Tony Stewart wins at Sonoma

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Tony Stewart ended a 84 winless streak in thrilling fashion Sunday afternoon during Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Sonoma Raceway.

Stewart gained the lead after a debris caution on lap 86 and battled former Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Denny Hamlin in the remaining laps, making contact several times before Hamlin hit the wall in turn 11.

“It’s special,” said Stewart of his 49th Sprint Cup career victory and his first win since 2013. “Trust me.”

Stewart lead the final 22 laps and won with a 0.625 margin of victory. The win comes after being inducted into the racetrack’s Wall of Fame where he now holds three victories.

Stewart held a two-second lead over Hamlin who was fighting hard door-to-door to keep his position from Martin Truex Jr. with five to go. Once Hamlin cleared Truex he quickly gained ground, but not even the contact with Stewart was enough for Hamlin to take the win.

“I made mistakes the last two laps. I had a little too much rear break in Turn 7 and wheel-hopped it two laps in a row,” Stewart said during his victory lane celebration. “I felt a nudge when I got down there, and (Hamlin) knew where it was. He did the right thing doing it there, but if I could get to him, he knew what was coming. Denny just told me he was proud of me. He knows what it means. We were teammates for a long time, and we respect each other a lot.”

Despite Hamlin’s disappointment of falling short of earning his first road course victory, the FedEx Toyota driver didn’t show any resentment toward Stewart.

“I thought with two or three (laps) to go he pretty much had it, but he made a couple mistakes and allowed us to get pretty close,” Hamlin said. “And then we just both wheel-hopped into 7, and I just let off my wheel-hop a little bit so I could get to his rear bumper and get him out of the groove just a touch.

“It was perfectly executed, but I was going through the esses knowing that I needed to get the biggest gap that I could going into (Turn) 11, and when he was two back or so going into 11, I just … I didn’t run a low enough line in Turn 11 from wheel-hopping in Turn 7. I got the rears hot, wheel-hopped it a little bit again, got out of line, and obviously gave him the inside line.”

Stewart is now one step closer to qualifying for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. After an ATV accident sidelined him for eight races, Stewart was granted a waiver. He now must race his way into the top-30 in points, he is 9 points shy of 30th place.

Joey Logano wins at Michigan

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series FireKeepers Casino 400

Photo by: Kena Krutsinger

Joey Logano’s strong restarting skills propelled him to his first Sprint Cup victory of the 2016 season during the FireKeepers Casino 400.

Logano led 138 laps and scored his first victory since last fall at Talladega Superspeedway.

The Penske driver pulled ahead of Hendrick Motorsports rookie Chase Elliott on a final restart to become the 10th different winner this season after Joe Gibbs Racing’s Denny Hamlin blew a tire that brought out a caution with 12 laps to go.

“Everyone did a great job of understanding what this package was going to do,” Logano said. “They put together a great race car for me.”

A missed shift by Elliott on lap 154 gave the lead back to Logano and Elliott never recovered to battle for the win at the end. Elliott, however, finished a career-best of 2nd place.

“You can’t do dumb stuff and win these races. Completely my fault,” Elliott said. “The guys gave me a great car today. This whole NAPA group has been working so hard these past few weeks, and that one was on me.”

Kyle Larson, Brad Keselowski, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-5.

Daniel Suarez scores first Xfinity victory

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NASCAR XFINITY Series Menards 250 Presented by Valvoline

Photo by Jerry Markland

Daniel Suarez clinched his first career NASCAR Xfinity victory during the Saturday afternoon Menard’s 250 at Michigan International Speedway.

Suarez passed Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in the closing laps of the event. Busch dominated the event, leading 88 of the 125 laps, but came up short for his fifth Xfinity Series victory this season. He finished second.

Suarez was penalized after speeding during a pitstop on lap 32, but gradually recovered to battle for the win.

“I just have no words honestly. I don’t think I can speak English or Spanish right now honestly,” Suarez said. “I can’t thank these guys enough for all the hard work.”

It was only a matter of time that Suarez would be in victory lane. Suarez was the 2015 rookie of the year and has continued his momentum this season. Suarez currently leads the Xfinity standings 18 points ahead of JR Motorsports driver Elliott Sadler.

“Honestly, I was trying as hard as possible. I was driving a little more on the edge,” Suarez said. “Honestly, I was maybe risking a little more than I should have. Everything was about the win so I was trying as hard as possible and it seemed like we were good in points, but not very good in wins. I was just very hungry and I know this team was at the same spot, we were very hungry to win races and finally we got the first one.”

Suarez dedicated the win to Erik Jones and his late father, who passed away Tuesday after battling cancer. Jones took to Twitter before the race to announce the news. Jones displayed his father’s name on the No. 20 Reser’s Fine Foods Toyota instead of his own to pay tribute. He finished fourth.

Suarez won by 0.281 seconds on his 48th start. He looks for his second win June 19th, 1:30 PM/ET on FS1.

Sharks force Game 6 in Stanley Cup finals

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Photo by Joe Sargent

The San Jose Sharks defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in Penguins territory with a 4-2 victory during Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals Thursday night at Consol Energy Center.

The Sharks opened up the game with two goals, one by Brent Burns and the other by Logan Couture, in the first three minutes. The Penguins answered with two goals of their own, but could not score another to retie the game.

The Sharks regained the lead before the end of the first and were able to keep it thanks to magnificent goaltending by Martin Jones. Jones finished Game 5 with 44 saves and a .957 save percentage. He holds a save percentage of .933 in the series.

“We’ve seen him play tremendous all year for us and tonight he was great,” Shsrks captain Joe Povelski said. “There were a lot of shots. He stopped the first one, but he made that second save point blank, so it really kept us going and allowed us to keep playing. He was tremendous tonight.”

Jones is at the top of his game after a rough start with the San Jose Sharks. The Sharks acquired Jones last Summer from the Boston Bruins, who previously acquired him from the Los Angeles Kings. Jones was a backup goaltender for Jonathan Quick.

“We started the season and it didn’t start as smoothly as we wanted,” Sharks coach Pete DeBoer said. “He just kept battling and battling.”

Jones, who blocked a shot by Penguins’s Nick Bonino in the third, has impressed his coaches and teammates. They have confidence that he can carry them to the Stanley Cup championship.

“It’s relaxing to have a guy like that bail you out so many times,” Tierney said. “Guys feel confident making plays in their end and they won’t panic because if they make a mistake he will bail them out.”

Jones and the Sharks look to continue their momentum Sunday in San Jose at 8PM/ET.

Martin Truex Jr. makes history at Charlotte

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NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600

Martin Truex Jr. dominated Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600. This time it led him into victory lane.

Truex broke records while making his way to the checkered flag. Truex led 392 of 400 laps, shattering Jim Paschal’s record of 335 laps in the 1967 event.

Truex led 588 miles which is a NASCAR record for one driver in any race. He also made a record for completing the event in the shortest time. He finished from the pole position in three hours, 44 minutes and eight seconds.

It’s just kind of sinking in now that we won the 600,” Truex said “It’s a big day. We’ve got the troops on the cars. It’s a special weekend. Just a lot of emotion right now. It’s a weekend you dream about.”

Truex’s win earns him a spot in the 2016 Chase for the Sprint Cup, where he could very well become a favorite for the title.

“Our goal was to get to victory lane; we did that,” Truex said. “Now we can focus on hopefully getting a few more and ultimately going back to Homestead with a shot at a championship and doing a better job than we did last year.”