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NASCAR Nation – 6-17

By Bruce Knoll, Jr

Detroit isn’t having the greatest of years when it comes to automobiles, so locals were hoping for a glimpse of hope through the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
No such luck.
In one of the strangest and arguably most boring races of the year, a race that saw only three cautions, it was fuel strategy that proved a winner at the Michigan International Speedway.
Mark Martin, running for a good position to claim maximum points, proved to be in the right place at the right time, coasting to his third victory of 2009.
In a race that was dominated by defending Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson, who led 146 of the race’s 200 laps, Martin surpassed Johnson when he ran out of fuel with one lap remaining.
“I’m trying to look at the bright side,” Johnson said following his 22nd place finish. “We had such a dominant car and we passed second and third and we went up to get the lead. It’s unfortunate we ran out of gas, but that’s how it is.”
Martin certainly didn’t just cruise to the victory, though, he revealed in his post-race comments.
“The battery had been going dead since lap 75 and I turned off all the fans and stuff,” he said. “I turned it off after we crossed the finish line and coasted all the way around. Then I tried to start it up to drive it to Victory Lane and it wouldn’t even turn over. It ran exactly as far as it was going to run.”
Jeff Gordon surpassed Johnson and second place car Greg Biffle to finish second, followed by Denny Hamlin in third and Carl Edwards in forth. Biffle ran out of fuel on the last lap but finished fifth.
Mayetta, New Jersey native Martin Truex Jr. started 19th but ended 36th, eight laps off the pace.
Nationwide Series:
Joey Logano defended his 2008 Kentucky Speedway victory by surpassing Kyle Busch with 10 laps to go to win the Meijer 300. Busch finished second, followed by Brad Keselowski in third, Brendan Gaughan in fourth, and Justin Allgaier in fifth.
Camping World Truck Series:
Colin Braun led 26 laps to win the Michigan 200, capturing his first career CWTS victory. Kyle Busch was second, followed by Brian Ickler in third, Matt Crafton in fourth, and Mike Skinner in fifth.
Other News:
Defending Truck Series champion Johnny Benson was released from his team last week due to lack of sponsorship. The driver did not compete in last Saturday’s truck series race, all but ending his chances for back-to-back titles. To make matters worse, Benson was hospitalized after a fiery crash in a Super Modified series race at a short track in Marne, Michigan. Benson was listed in serious but stable condition and is expected to recover.
And on a brighter note, French car manufacturer Peugeot took the victory in the world’s most coveted endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Marc Gene of Spain, David Brabham of Britain, and Alexander Wurz of Austria completed 382 laps in the 24-hour time slot to end Audi’s five-year winning streak.
Coming Up:
The Sprint Cup Series sees its first taste of road racing action this year when the drivers hit the Infineon Raceway in southern California, while the Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series head to the Milwaukee Mile.
Bruce Knoll, 17, of Eldora, can be contacted by email at bknoll jr4cmcherald@yahoo.com

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