Dave Connolly didn’t drive Sunday like he gave the rest of NHRA’s Pro Stock category a five-race head start. His drive to a runner-up finish in his second 2008 outing did, however, remind all his rivals that he is back.

After qualifying third for the O’Reilly Midwest Nationals before a lot of visitors from his new sponsor, St. Louis-based Charter Communications, Connolly showed why he won eight times last year, including this race, and is one of the category’s top competitors.

He defeated Ron Krisher, Allen Johnson and Greg Anderson in workmanlike fashion to reach his 30th-career title round, but a clutch problem at the starting line against Kurt Johnson foiled his chances of winning his 18th race.

The result was an uncharacteristically slow reaction time of .144 seconds, leaving Johnson with an advantage that couldn’t be overcome. It did, however, produce Connolly’s quickest and fastest run of the weekend in the Charter Communications Chevy Cobalt from Victor Cagnazzi Racing.

Johnson’s 6.631-second elapsed time at 208.79 beat Connolly’s 6.651 at 208.78.

Connolly called it an "interesting weekend; and it was fun," he said, "but basically it was a test session for us each round. We were putting a new clutch in the car every round. It was the weirdest day I’ve ever seen in Pro Stock, that’s for sure."

The fifth-year pro took full blame for the slow start, although not one of his teammates agreed. "I screwed it up. I just let the car go through the (starting) beams and as soon as I went to stop it, the tree was on and I was just dead late. We could’ve run with Kurt... it was a win we should’ve had."

Connolly’s quick reaction time (.039 to .088) led to a hole-shot win over Krisher, 6.668 to 6.641, and he followed with a .034 reaction en route to a decision over Allen Johnson.

His best reaction of the day came against Greg Anderson (.004 to .052). A clutch problem affected Connolly’s run and he slowed to 8.851 at 151.22 while Anderson aborted his attempt.

"All-in-all we were happy to take the three round wins and the runner-up for the second weekend out. We have to test before we go to Bristol (Tenn., May 16-18)."

Connolly now has 130 points and is 18th. Points will become important as he attempts to catch the pack over the next 11 races. The top 10 drivers will continue to the Countdown to the Championship following the U.S. Nationals, August 29-Sept. 1.

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 BB&T Chevrolet, winner:

"They were just racing so hard there and you knew it was going to happen. I just took advantage of a misfortune right there. But I'm real happy for all these guys and for BB&T. She was fast all night long. I messed up in qualifying for these guys in starting in the back, but was able to bounce back so that was really good."

Mark Martin, No. 8 U.S. Army Chevrolet, finished third:

"I really want to see their faces (his team) in victory lane. I mean, they are right there. They are getting it done. You know, we were just one little whisker off of being able to get it done tonight. It was very close. But the car, we got off a little bit the middle of the race and lost some track position and then got the car back something better toward the end; not quite a hundred percent, but we got it better. It was tough out there."

Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops/Tracker Chevrolet, finished fifth:

"I don't think we were a fifth-place car by any means at the end, but at times throughout the race we were. So, I'm proud of the guys. They did a good job for me all night. The motor ran really good tonight. We just had to hang around. Finally at the end of one of these deals usually we're one of the ones getting wrecked or blowing up or having all the unfortunate luck. I feel bad for the No. 11 (Hamlin). He was just the class of the field by far. It's not often you get cars like that. So I feel a little bad for him. Overall, I'm pretty happy with my team and the job they did tonight."

Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge, finished sixth:

"That was a great finish for a 15th-place car. The Alltel Dodge wasn't what we expected it to be. We were in the right place at the right time and capitalized late in the race. The guys never gave up. We took two tires late and made a great call on pit road. We made something out of not much.

"I don't think this new (COT) car has been much of a race car. I'm not at all happy with the racing that we have. I don't think the fans are enjoying it. The racing itself is poor. The cars aren't made to be a mobile race car. They're made to be versatile and that's not cool either."

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, finished eighth:

"We just weren't very good tonight. We are going to have to try and figure some things out here. I think everyone was pretty loose at the start of the race. Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys kept working on our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet to get it better. There was a point there about mid-race when we were pretty good and made some good moves to the top-three, but then the car just started going away again and we couldn't seem to get it back. It was a decent points night for us, but we want to be running up front and contending for wins. I know everyone at RCR will continue to work hard on our program to get us where we need to be."

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, finished 11th:

"We were loose for most of the race. We got caught up in the 11-car incident but (were) fortunate to escape with some minor fender damage. The AT&T team did a great job of fixing the car and getting it to where we can race. Although we finished 11th, we had a good points day."

Sam Hornish, Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge, finished 23rd:

"We didn't have that great of a car. We just pretty much stayed out of trouble. We only had one incident. We got hit by a car that was coming off the wall but it was okay. I'm real happy that we made it to the end. We did everything that we needed to do. The car was pretty good towards the end of the race. We just needed to get it better at the beginning and not go a lap down that early. I'm real proud of all the guys on the Mobil 1 Dodge. Pit stops were pretty good tonight. Every time we stopped we gained something on a couple of people, kind of a heads-up thing back and forth. I was just real happy that we made it to the end in one piece. I don't know what it does for the points but it couldn't have hurt us too bad."

Paul Menard, No. 15 Moen/Menards Chevrolet, finished 31st:

"We definitely had a challenging couple of hours on track tonight. But we picked a good night to have a bad night, so to speak."

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, finished 42nd:

"Things happen so fast, you don't know where to go. The 10 car was on the inside spinning around and he ricocheted back up into the group of us. I had my front brakes all locked up. I had nowhere to go. We're just not getting our cars to turn. When you're not getting the car to turn, you're running heavy in the pack. You're just not breaking through into that top-five pack where things are a bit calmer. We're just struggling to get our car to turn and have been testing our rear ends off trying to come up with something."

Nationwide Series

Kevin Harvick, No. 33 Rheems Chevrolet, finished second:

"I'm just really proud of the pit crew guys. All those guys have been working hard, and what a turnaround from the first week on pit road. We did everything right, just came up a little bit short. We keep running like that, good things will keep coming our way."

Steve Wallace, No. 66 Atreus Homes and Communities Chevrolet, finished fifth. On his late-race incident and pit road confrontation with Kyle Busch:

"We came off turn two and he got really loose by himself. There wasn't a whole lot I could do; he checked up when he got loose. I didn't mean to hit him -- it was just racing; it happens every week. Then, we got down into three and it was clear that he was trying to wreck me, so I drove up the racetrack to keep from getting hit. After the race, when we drove into one, he brake-checked me hard and tore the right front corner off of our car.

"When we got onto pit road, he came running over to my car with his helmet on. I couldn't understand a thing he said, but I heard a lot of the comments he made to the media afterwards. If he's as big of a man as he says he is, he should take his helmet off this time and come tell me to my face. Our Atreus teams had a great night and I'm not going to let that incident ruin it; I'm really proud of the job that both of our teams did tonight."

Clint Bowyer, No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet, finished ninth.

Scott Wimmer, No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet, finished 10th:

"Not a bad day for the Holiday Inn Racing Team. We finished 10th but I think that we had a better car than that. I ended up hitting the wall at the end of the race and I wasn't able to gain any ground. We got fresh tires there at the end but it was tough getting through traffic. We were real loose on the short runs and that could have bit us in the end. The guys did a good job all night and we will move on to Darlington from here."

Bobby Hamilton Jr., No. 25 The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg Ford, finished 17th:

"We ran okay tonight, we just had a few little things keep us from finishing in the top-10. It was a lot of fun having The Peanut Shop of Williamsburg on board with us and we look forward to having their products on the truck all season long."

Kelly Bires, No. 47 Clorox Ford, finished 20th:

"We were looking good and the car was a little tight but we made some adjustments and helped it. When we went back racing, the car just got tight. I think we've got an issue with our brakes that is really hurting the car. The guys really worked hard on it because we struggled a little bit when we first got here and then got it driving good. We had a couple of issues and a couple of vibrations -- just a lot of stuff going on with the car that affected the end result. The cautions killed us and we just got real tight on that long run and got us a lap down. The car is in one piece, though, so we'll go back and work on it and make it better."

Marcos Ambrose, No. 59 Kingsford Hickory Charcoal Ford, finished 25th:

"It was just a tough night for the Kingsford team but we brought it home and got some more points on the board. We were a little loose into the corners when we came off the truck and it just sort of hurt us here for the race. I thought we were going to be better than that, so I'm a little disappointed. We just didn't have the pace we would have liked and that meant we couldn't move forward."

The NHRA was in action for the second weekend in a row and near-perfect weather conditions made for record-breaking qualifying runs. At the end of the weekend there were mixed results for the Snap-on teams with Dave Connolly taking the highest finishing position, runner-up.

Dave Connolly:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Dave Connolly's return to the Pro Stock ranks last weekend ended early and that just motivated his Snap-on team even more to win this week. Connolly didn't take the top qualifying spot, but he did show the strength he had last season by qualifying third. Connolly ran a 6.595-second pass at 207.56 mph to lock in his spot in the top half of the ladder despite the track ET record falling to Jason Line. Connolly matched up with Ron Krisher in the first round and made quick work of the match-up. Connolly was down and away first and drove away despite twitching and wiggling down the track. Allen Johnson was next up for Connolly. This race was over quickly. Connolly left first and Johnson smoked the tires immediately sending Connolly to the semis. Connolly took on Greg Anderson next and this race got a little weird. Connolly nailed the light, cutting a near perfect reaction time, to take the advantage. Further down the track Connolly and Anderson broke at the same time, sending both cars into coast mode. Connolly was far enough out front to coast across the line first and into the championship round. A new clutch was to blame for Connolly's final round loss. Connolly was uncharacteristically slow out of the gate and that was enough for Allen Johnson to take the win.

Jeg Coughlin:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Jeg Coughlin picked up his qualifying effort this weekend. After several mid-field efforts this season, Coughlin laid down a solid 5.597-second effort at 207.56 to slot in fourth just behind his teammate Connolly. Coughlin had a difficult first-round opponent in Jim Yates. Coughlin and Yates had a very tight drag race to the line despite the fact that Coughlin got away first and ran a faster overall speed. In the end, Coughlin managed to edge out Yates to move into the second round after a great race. Coughlin and Kurt Johnson went toe-to-toe in the second round with a fantastic finish. Coughlin left first by the slimmest of margins and the two ran side-by-side the length of the track. However, it ended in heartbreak for Coughlin as Johnson edged him at the line to send Coughlin and his Snap-on team home. "We were welded together out there and I thought I'd edged him right at the stripe. Then I glanced over and my win light wasn't on so I realized he'd taken the win," said Coughlin. "Holy mackerel, that was close. That was a thrill no matter who won."

Steve Johnson:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Looking to shake off the mechanical failure that prevented him from making it to the staging lane last week, Steve Johnson regrouped this week to qualify his Snap-on Pro Stock Motorcycle in the top-half of the field. Johnson streaked down the quarter-mile in 6.966 seconds at 189.50 mph. The strong effort was good enough for seventh. Johnson's first-round effort was strong as guided his Snap-on bike down the track in career-best fashion at St. Louis. Both Johnson and Matt Guidera cut great lights, leaving nearly simultaneously. From there, it was all Johnson as he stormed by Guidera and into the second round with an impressive effort. Johnson tried to cut a perfect light against Chip Ellis, but that ultimately ended his day. Johnson left a split-second too early and red-lighted by two thousandths of a second, drawing the disqualification.

Doug Herbert:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Doug Herbert was not among those who were able to set records during the lightning-quick qualifying sessions. Still, Herbert was able to get the job done and qualify his Snap-on hot-rod in the field. His best effort of 4.569, 322.81 mph was only 12th-fastest, but again, the entire field was very quick. Herbert came up short in his effort to take tool bragging rights in the first round against Doug Kalitta. Herbert was out of the gate first and was in good shape to take the win when the tires went up in smoke and forced him to shut it down. As a result, Kalitta went on unchallenged to the second round while Herbert went home early. "There isn't really much to say," said Herbert. "We had one good run all weekend, and unfortunately it didn't happen during eliminations. We tried to be a little too aggressive for the first round and it came back to bite us. We don't like loosing early, and we are going to take steps to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Cruz Pedregon:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Cruz Pedregon took the honors of being the highest-qualifying Snap-on Funny Car. "The Cruiser" traveled down the quarter-mile in 4.786 seconds at 322.04 mph. This effort was good enough for fifth-fastest heading into Sunday's eliminations. Pedregon and Gary Scelzi faced off in the first round with Scelzi owning a 15-8 record against Pedregon. Pedregon changed that by beating Scelzi off the line and then holding him off for the hole-shot win to move into the second round. The second round set up a showdown between the Pedregons. It was Cruz vs. Tony. Tony owned a 21-9 record against his brother, but smoked the tires hard, while Cruz went on with a solid pass to take the win. Pedregon went up in smoke after taking the advantage off the line in the third round against Tim Wilkerson. As a result, Tim Wilkerson took the win and Pedregon came up one round short of racing for the win.

Tony Pedregon:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Tony Pedregon didn't quite have the qualifying effort he was looking for, but he made the show nonetheless in his Snap-on Funny Car. Pedregon qualified 13th-fastest with a 4.806-second pass at 317.64 mph. Pedregon drew Ashley Force in the first round, last week's Funny Car winner and championship leader. Pedregon beat Force off the line and managed to hold off her late rally to advance to the second round. Unfortunately, Pedregon's run would come to an end in the second round at the hands of his brother Cruz. Pedregon left first, but went up in smoke allowing his brother to cruise to the semis.

Gary Densham:
May, 4, 2008 | Madison, Ill. -- Gary Densham was unable to get his ride up to speed to make the field. His best effort of 4.852 seconds at 307.09 mph came up just three hundredths of second shy of putting him in the show. The O'Reilly Thunder Nationals from Bristol, Tenn., in two weeks is up next for the NHRA. Qualifying can be seen Saturday May 17 at 6:30 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. Eliminations can also be seen on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday.

"Yeah, we knew we had it all day, didn't we?"

That was Clint Bowyer's sarcastic, yet jubilant, quote to his pit crew over the in-car radio after he took the checkered flag in Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 from Richmond International Raceway in a race highlighted by short-track fireworks in the event's last 20 laps.

Denny Hamlin, a native of nearby Chesterfield, Va., dominated the evening's festivities, leading 381 of 400 laps and walking away from the field at times. He held a sizeable lead over Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch with 20 laps to go when he felt his right front tire going down. In a stunning turn of events, Hamlin went from first to 15th before the tire finally let go and he crashed into the Turn 4 wall, bringing out the race's penultimate caution period.

With Hamlin out of the way, a host of drivers led by Earnhardt and Busch lined up to slug it out for the win on Richmond's three-quarter-mile asphalt tri-oval. The restart with five laps to go had Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Tony Stewart, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick lined up just behind the front two.

Earnhardt and Busch put on quite a show from that point, battling for the point and running side-by-side until, with two-and-a-half laps remaining, Busch got slightly loose under Earnahrdt in Turn 3 and turned the No. 88 Chevy sideways and into the fence. Snap-on's Clint Bowyer dove under the two and took the caution flag as the race leader. A green-white-checker "overtime" period would decide the winner.

With Earnhardt -- like Hamlin just three laps earlier -- now out of the way, Bowyer would have to hold off a hard-charging and over-aggressive Busch if he intended to record his second Sprint Cup victory.

With Mark Martin's help, he did just that.

Martin pulled alongside the No. 18 of Busch on the restart and gave the 23-year-old all he could handle over the final two laps, enabling Bowyer to sprint away from the field for the win, uncontested.

"They were just racing so hard there and you knew it was going to happen," an elated Bowyer said of the Earnhardt-Busch clash. "I just took advantage of a misfortune right there. But I'm real happy for all these guys and for BB&T. She was fast all night long. I messed up in qualifying for these guys in starting in the back, but was able to bounce back so that was really good."

Busch held off Martin to finish second. They were followed by Stewart in fourth, Truex fifth and Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne in sixth through 10th.

Earnhardt managed a 15th-place finish after his run-in with the wall, while Hamlin settled for a 24th-place showing.

"You know, we were just one little whisker off of being able to get it done tonight," third-place Martin said. "It was very close. But the car, we got off a little bit the middle of the race and lost some track position and then got the car back something better toward the end; not quite a hundred percent, but we got it better. It was tough out there."

"I don't think we were a fifth-place car by any means at the end, but at times throughout the race we were," Snap-on's Truex said of his evening. "So, I'm proud of the guys. They did a good job for me all night. The motor ran really good tonight. We just had to hang around. Finally at the end of one of these deals usually we're one of the ones getting wrecked or blowing up or having all the unfortunate luck."

Eighth-place finisher Kevin Harvick was frustrated despite his top-10 finish that kept him in the top five in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings:

"I think everyone was pretty loose at the start of the race," he explained. "Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys kept working on our Shell-Pennzoil Chevrolet to get it better. There was a point there about mid-race when we were pretty good and made some good moves to the top-three, but then the car just started going away again and we couldn't seem to get it back. It was a decent points night for us, but we want to be running up front and contending for wins. I know everyone at RCR will continue to work hard on our program to get us where we need to be."

Snap-on's Sam Hornish Jr. finished 23rd in the event, while Paul Menard placed 31st.

Kurt Busch finished 42nd after a hard hit in the night's biggest wreck which started when Dave Blaney, J.J. Yeley and Carl Edwards got tangled up on lap 231. Yeley ended up in the wall while a gaggle of cars behind him, including Busch, defending race-winner Jimmie Johnson, Johnny Sauter, Juan Pablo Montoya, David Gilliland, Regan Smith and Michael McDowell, all were collected in the ensuing melee. Jeff Burton narrowly avoided the wreck and slid through en route to an 11th-place finish.

Snap-on Nextel Cup Drivers - how they placed:
Clint Bowyer (1st, led 13 laps) Mark Martin (3rd, led 0 laps) Martin Truex Jr. (5th, led 0 laps) Ryan Newman (6th, led 0 laps) Kevin Harvick (8th, led 0 laps) Jeff Burton (11th, led 0 laps) Sam Hornish Jr. (23rd, led 0 laps) Paul Menard (31st, led 0 laps) Kurt Busch (42nd, led 0 laps)

Kevin Harvick:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- It was an impressive night for Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 team at Richmond International Raceway. After taking the lead of the Lipton Tea 250 just past the halfway mark, Harvick went on to lead 98 laps on his way to a second-place finish. Harvick elected not to pit while leading during a lap-237 caution when he saw second-place Carl Edwards and third-place Mike Bliss stay out behind him. "I've been caught on both sides of that, but it only cost us one spot," Harvick said. "I was pitting, until I saw the 60 (Edwards) and the 1 (Bliss) behind him stay up. I figured more cars would stay out." Eventual race-winner Denny Hamlin pitted, giving him the fresh tires he needed to run down Harvick late. "I'm just really proud of the pit crew guys. All those guys have been working hard, and what a turnaround from the first week on pit road," Harvick said."We did everything right, just came up a little bit short. We keep running like that, good things will keep coming our way." Harvick is looking for his first win in the Nationwide Series in his self-owned Chevys, although Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte have both taken KHI machines to Victory Lane.

Steve Wallace:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Steve Wallace continues to make strides in his second full season of Nationwide Series competition. The second-generation racer recorded his best career finish on Friday night, a fifth-place run in the Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Wallace also exchanged paint on the racetrack with Kyle Busch in the event's waning laps and traded barbs with him afterwards, as well. "He's a boy trying to play it in a man's sport," Busch said of the incident, which involved the two banging on the cool-down lap and Wallace grabbing Busch by the facemask on pit road. "If he's going to say stuff like that, he can come and say it to my face," retorted Wallace.

Clint Bowyer:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Clint Bowyer had a stellar weekend at Richmond International Raceway. The Emporia, Kan.-native, who leads the NASCAR Nationwide Series point standings, qualified his Richard Childress-owned BB&T Chevy fifth on the grid. Although he failed to lead a lap on the evening, he kept the car in the top 10 all night and drove it to a solid ninth-place finish. Bowyer has eight top 10s in 11 Nationwide races thus far in 2008. Bowyer bettered his Friday night results on Saturday, when he snuck past a hard-dueling Kyle Busch and Dale Earnhardt Jr. with two laps to go to win the Sprint Cup Series' Crown Royal 400. It was Bowyer's second career Cup win and moves him up to fourth in the Sprint Cup point standings.

Scott Wimmer:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Scott Wimmer put up another solid top-10 finish in the RCR No. 29 Chevy in the Lipton Tea 250 at Richmond International Raceway. Wimmer started 10th on the grid and finished there, his fourth consecutive top-10 run of the 2008 campaign.

Sam Hornish Jr.:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Sam Hornish Jr., a two-time IndyCar winner at Richmond International Raceway, earned his first top-15 run at the three-quarter-mile short track in a stock car in Friday's Lipton Tea 250. After qualifying 28th, Hornish and crew had a hard-fought battle to race to, and remain at, the front of the field. Hornish fell a lap down early and crew chief Matt Gimbel based pit strategy around getting the No. 12 Dodge back on the lead lap for much of the race. The strategy finally paid off, when on lap 234, Hornish was awarded the "Lucky Dog" pass. Hornish was in 17th on that restart and worked his way up to 15th by the time the checkered flag fell, 10 laps later. "We put ourselves in the right place at the right time," said Hornish. "We were one lap down for most of the race and seemed stuck just outside the top-20. Matt (Gimbel) made the right call and with just 10 laps to go we were able to race our way up to 15th place. We are going to run the next few Nationwide races and hope to build upon our recent success in the Penske Truck Rental Dodge."

Bobby Hamilton Jr.:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his Team Rensi Ford continue to go toe-to-toe with the big boys of the sport and put up a competitive showing. Hamilton notched his third-straight lead-lap finish in the Lipton Tea 250 from Richmond International Raceway on Friday night. Hamilton qualified 20th in the event in his No. 25 Ford and finished 17th. Despite being a single-car operation with no Sprint Cup ties, Hamilton and crew have completed 99.8 percent of all laps run in 2008 and sit 11th in Nationwide Series points.

Kelly Bires:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Kelly Bires had been one of the pleasant surprises on the Nationwide Series this season. Driving his first full schedule on tour, Bires has made the No. 47 JTG Racing Ford into a competitive ride. Unfortunately, Friday night's Richmond race wasn't one of the team's shining moments, although they did manage a 20th-place finish. "It was good at the start of the race," Bires said of his evening. "We drove forward a good amount and had a real good pit stop and were sitting there in the top 15. We were looking good and the car was a little tight but we made some adjustments and helped it. "When we went back racing, the car just got tight," he added. "I think we've got an issue with our brakes that is really hurting the car. The guys really worked hard on it because we struggled a little bit when we first got here and then got it driving good. We had a couple of issues and a couple of vibrations -- just a lot of stuff going on with the car that affected the end result. "We'll just have to go home and see what's wrong with it and get it fixed. Still, we should have finished better than we did, we just missed the handling there at the end. The cautions killed us and we just got real tight on that long run and got us a lap down. The car is in one piece, though, so we'll go back and work on it and make it better." Bires is 12th in NASCAR Nationwide Series points.

Marcos Ambrose:
May, 2, 2008 | Richmond, Va. -- Bires' JTG Racing teammate, Marcos Ambrose, also had a rough go of it Friday night. The Australia-native battled handling issues all night and settled for a 25th-place showing. "It was just a tough night," the amiable Ambrose explained. "We were a little loose in when we came off the truck and it just sort of hurt us here for the race. I thought we were gonna be better than that, so I'm a little disappointed."

Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge, finished eighth:

"We had a good car. We had a car capable of running in the top five and got an eighth out of it. That's not so horrible, not the results we wanted, but we'll take it. It was a good points day for us."

Clint Bowyer, No. 07 DIRECTV Chevrolet, finished ninth:

"We're all pretty excited about that finish for the DIRECTV Chevrolet. We hung around all day like we needed to and went racing at the end. I wish I could have stayed on the bottom at the end but someone would have wrecked me. After I crashed in the Nationwide race on Saturday, I'm excited to get out of here in one piece. To get a top 10 is even better."

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet, finished 12th:

"That was definitely a wild finish. We were involved in that wreck on the last lap and ended up cutting a tire but I was able to limp across the finish line. We got caught up one lap down and got back on the lead lap. Our car was fast in the draft and I'm just glad we were able to finish the race."

Paul Menard, No. 15 Turtle Wax/Menards Chevrolet, finished 14th:

"The car was great all day. We ran up front for most of the day and even thought we got turned by Montoya near the end, we still managed to fight our way back to 12th, which is awesome."

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Shell/Pennzoil Chevrolet, finished 24th:

"We were in a good pack moving up in the field there at the end then we got caught in the big wreck on the last lap. Wish we had a better finish but it could be much, much worse. Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys on this Shell/Pennzoil team gave me a good car and got me in and out of the pits with awesome stops all day. We lost a few points, but we will be okay and just head for Richmond."

Sam Hornish, Jr., No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge, finished 35th:

"We had a vibration and decided to change the left side tires. By doing that, we ran the right side too long. We still were in pretty good position, but had some kind of a problem with the engine. I'm not really sure what happened, but we were running on seven cylinders at the end trying to get every position we could. It definitely could have been a better day for us."

Martin Truex, Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet, finished 37th:

"It is Talladega, man. You know, you get to the end and guys do things they shouldn't do. Try to fit in holes they shouldn't fit it. It's just typical here. It is boring for a while. It is too boring for awhile and then people are too stupid at the end, so there is really no reason. It just sucks sitting in the garage with 10 to go looking at a good finish. We had a good car all day. It is just Talladega."

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, finished 39th:

"We just got caught up in a wreck in front of us. There really wasn't anything that I could do to avoid it. It's disappointing. We fought a vibration on the Miller Lite Dodge around lap 45 and never seem to have the power we needed all day. We caught a break and got the Lucky Dog to get us back on the lead lap, but the wreck ended our day."

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Bobby Hamilton, Jr., No. 25 Smithfield Ford, finished third:

"If I was going to blame anybody, it was the car that was coming on the racetrack. I mean, the field was coming and you're already a lap down, so what's the big hurry? It was an honest mistake. There's no way Carl is going to take his stuff out like that. I don't think (it) was the spotter's fault. I just think, I don't know, impatience, as far as, 'I've got to hurry up and get back out there and make up a lap.'

"I mean, you're already laps down, who cares? The coolest thing is Morgan Shepherd finished 10th (actually 13th) riding around, so he could've done the same thing, and not be in a big hurry and cause a big wreck. You can sit here and rear-quarterback it all day long as far as what he should've done, but Talladega is one of those places -- it's emotional, it's frustrating, it's all of the above. And if you can, like I said before, put yourself in position, you can have a good day."

Scott Wimmer, No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet, finished ninth:

"The right-front tire on the Holiday Inn Chevy blew early in the race and caused heavy damage. Pat (Smith) made some great calls and the team worked hard on getting the fender almost perfect so I could race up front with the pack. If it wasn't for the hard work these guys put into making the Holiday Inn Chevy competitive again, we wouldn't have been able to battle back for a top-10 finish."

Cale Gale, No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, finished 22nd:

"We had a really fast car. Unfortunately, we got caught in the 'big one' and had to bring the car to the garage for repairs and lost some laps that put us out of contention. The guys did a great job all weekend working on the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet and gave me a fast car. This wasn't the finish I wanted in front of my home crowd, but I was able to get more laps on the superspeedway and learn a lot today. Next time I will definitely approach Talladega differently."

Clint Bowyer, No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet, finished 25th:

"The 40 car (Dario Franchitti) blew a right-rear tire and I had nowhere to go, but that's about how my luck has been at Talladega. I'm really proud of Dan (crew chief Dan Deeringhoff) and all the guys on this Camping World Chevrolet for keeping their heads in the game and getting our car back out there. We hung in there and finished the race and that's what it takes to win a championship."

Marcos Ambrose, No. 59 Kingsford Hickory Ford, finished 28th:

"There's nothing you can do in that situation and sometimes these things happen. We were running to plan, just hanging out there in the lead pack and getting ready to make a run at the front. I took the conservative approach like a lot of others. It was all running pretty smoothly but once the wreck started there was no stopping it.

"We got it back out there and moved up a little, salvaging something out of nothing I guess. I've definitely got to thank the crew for that because we are trying to score all the points we can get. There's nothing you can do about it. We'll just put this behind us and look to run well at Richmond next week. We're certainly not the only ones that got caught up in it -- Talladega looked like a parking lot after the dust settled."

Steve Wallace, No. 66 Atreus Homes and Communities Chevrolet, finished 32nd:

"I still can't believe what happened... first of all, let me thank my guys; they gave me a great car today. I could go anywhere I wanted on the track and our Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet would draft with just about anyone out there. We had gotten ourselves in a good position, with the 64 car and the 7 car right behind us; we were just waiting and trying to get positioned for the last lap.

"Then, all of a sudden, out of the corner of my eye, I saw this red blur come up off the apron. I turned right all I could, but there was nothing I could do; it was such a shame. I really thought that we had a shot at this one. Coming off our good run at Mexico though, our strong run today definitely helps to carry that momentum into Richmond next weekend."

Kelly Bires, No. 47 Clorox Ford, finished 36th:

"I saw a car coming off of pit road and going about 100 miles an hour slower. It's just a bummer. There were a lot of good race cars that got torn up right there because of that deal. But it's alright. We had a great Clorox Ford Fusion all day. It would've been good. He had a flat tire there under green and had to pit, put a left front on it, and went back to the rear and was just going to ride there until caution came out and get our lap back, but we just didn't want to be in it. But, it was good. We had a really good racecar. It would've been a top-10 car, for sure."

NASCAR Truck Series

Ron Hornaday, No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, winner:

"I've got to thank Chevrolet, Camping World, VFW, everybody at KHI and this whole Camping World team for giving me this awesome truck. I hadn't won at Kansas before so this is really cool."

Jack Sprague, No. 2 American Commercial Lines Chevrolet, finished second:

"I wanted this one really bad. But I'm not going to complain about finishing second. I used up all my stuff trying to come back up through the field. I gave Hornaday all I had but I just ran out of time."

Jon Wood, No. 21 U.S. Air Force Ford, finished 26th:

"Since I had a substitute for practice and qualifying, I had to start in the back, being in Talladega and all. We had a really good truck, all things considered. Things were good considering that I hadn't turned a lap in it all weekend. We were passing a bunch of people. Stacy Compton and (he) lost it. As he spun out, I chose to go around on the apron and it was the way he turned the wheel or something and he came down the race track, right where I was at the last second. He just got me in the door. Then our day was over from there. We had just come in and pitted for the first time and John Monsam (crew chief) and I made some changes and we got the truck driving like it needed to."

After his JEGS.com race team returned his Chevrolet Cobalt to the set-up it had at the start of the year, Coughlin returned to championship form on race day, beating six-time world champion Warren Johnson in Round 1 and low qualifier Ron Krisher in the quarterfinals before bowing to Mike Edwards in the semis on a holeshot.

Coughlin had the quicker car against Edwards but the veteran from Oklahoma pulled off a cosmic .008-second reaction time against Coughlin’s .037-second start to win with a 6.667 at 206.54 mph over Coughlin’s 6.657 at 206.29 mph.

"Mike did a great job," Coughlin said. "I thought I hit the Tree really well. If you would have asked me what my reaction time was when I got out of the car I would have said .015 or so. But it was a .037 and that was just slow enough to allow Mike to get the win. As a driver you always hate to give one away like that but it does happen."

Coughlin was quickest of Round 2 and second quickest of the opening session, pleasing the 52-time national event winner quite a bit.

"The car’s really happy right now," he said. "The guys have done an outstanding job of getting this thing to run straight and fast and it’s a joy to drive. We’re not the last man standing today but my chin’s up and I’m excited to get to St. Louis for next weekend’s race at Gateway International Raceway.

"The bottom line is that Pro Stock racing these days requires perfection in the shop, perfection in the pits, and perfection on the track. We almost put all that together today so we’re very pleased."

The 12th annual O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals begin Friday in Madison, Ill., which is just across the Mississippi River from downtown St. Louis.

Despite threats of rain, the NHRA was able to sneak all four qualifying sessions in on Friday and Saturday. However, rain struck the track in Georgia Sunday, delaying action and sending teams scrambling to tune their hot-rods up for the newer track conditions.

Dave Connolly:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- After sitting out the first few races of the season due to lack of sponsorship, Dave Connolly made his 2008 debut for team Snap-on. Connolly immediately made his presence felt with a 6.662-second pass at 207.05 mph. The effort was quick enough for fifth. Unfortunately for Connolly, his first run on Sunday wasn't enough to keep him in the running for the race win. Kurt Johnson edged off the line just before Connolly and that's all it took. Johnson was able to out-quick Connolly to the line to take the win. "That was not the kind of start we were looking for, but there's still some rust on the driver and the car doesn't have quite as many runs as we'd need to have on it. There's still quite of bit of work that has to be done there," Connolly said. "All-in-all, at least we got out here and got our feet wet. I guess it's like (fellow Pro Stock racer) V Gaines said, 'we aren't rookies anymore'... next week we'll be better."

Jeg Coughlin:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Jeg Coughlin continued his string of mid-field qualifying efforts before the rain came. Coughlin notched an eighth-place effort to stay in the top half of the ladder. His 6.668-second run at 206.92 mph did keep him in position to make a run in eliminations. Coughlin went to school in the first round, facing off with "The Professor" Warren Johnson. Luckily, Coughlin was able to get out of the gate first and maintain the lead to move on. Coughlin and Ron Krisher squared off in the second round. Coughlin cut a great light, as he is known to do, and pulled away with a strong pass to collect the win and move into the semis. Mike Edwards ruined Coughlin's good day in the semis when he outdueled Coughlin on the line. Edwards cut a near perfect light to leave first and then outlasted Coughlin as he charged back just before the line. In the end, Coughlin came up just short, ending his weekend in the semis.

Doug Herbert:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Doug Herbert notched a solid qualifying effort in his Snap-on Top Fuel dragster. Herbert streaked down the quarter-mile in 4.656 seconds at 310.91 mph. The time and speed was good enough for 10th overall. After waiting out rain early Sunday, Herbert faced off with Doug Kalitta to see who would win the battle for top Doug. Herbert would take the honor as he left the line first and pulled away for the hole-shot win to advance to the second round.

Cruz Pedregon:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Cruz Pedregon led the charge in the Funny Car division for the Snap-on teams in qualifying. Pedregon cruised his way to the No. 2 spot in qualifying with a stout 4.812, 314.53 mph run heading into eliminations. Pedregon drew Jerry Toliver in the first round and disposed of him in interesting fashion. Pedregon was down and away first, but lost traction and had to pedal multiple times. Meanwhile, Toliver lost traction immediately and hurt his engine, forcing him to shut down and allow Pedregon to move into the second round. Ron Capps was the next opponent for Pedregon on Sunday. Unfortunately for Pedregon, Capps parlayed a great light into an impressive win. Capps left first and took a significant lead and never looked back.

Gary Densham:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Gary Densham also had an impressive qualifying effort in his Snap-on Funny Car. Densham powered his way to the fourth qualifying spot of a very competitive field. Densham took the fourth spot on the strength of a 4.849-second, 308.78-mph pass. Densham met Jack Beckman in the first round on Sunday after the rain passed through and broke a winless streak against Beckman. With an 0-for-3 record, Densham blasted off the line first and beat Beckman at the top end of the track to advance to the second round. Densham drew Bob Tasca III in the second round. Tasca left first, taking the slight edge and that was all he needed. Densham couldn't keep pace with Tasca and went home early.

Tony Pedregon:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Tony Pedregon continued the theme of strong Snap-on qualifying efforts in the Funny Car division. Pedregon slotted in fifth after running a strong 4.853-second, 316.90-mph pass. The strength that Pedregon showed in qualifying just wasn't there on Sunday unfortunately. He got off the line first, taking the advantage over Bob Tasca III, but the engine went away near half-track relegating Pedregon to a loss and an early exit.

Steve Johnson:
April, 27, 2008 | Atlanta, Ga. -- Steve Johnson and his Snap-on motorcycle team returned to action in Georgia and his return to action was marked with a good qualifying effort. Johnson powered his way down the track in 7.022 seconds at 192.25 mph. That effort on his two wheels was good enough for seventh-fastest. The worst possible thing that could happen to Johnson on Sunday did happen. His Snap-on bike refused to start when they rolled it out to the staging lane. From there, the team worked feverishly to get the motorcycle started. The Snap-on team succeeded, but it was too late. The call had already been made by the NHRA that Johnson was out of the running, ending his weekend without staging. The NHRA will be in action next weekend as well for the O'Reilly Midwest Nationals from Madison, Ill. Qualifying can be seen Saturday May 3 at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPN2 while eliminations can be seen Sunday night at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.

Any one of 20 drivers had a shot to visit Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway as the Aaron's 499 wound to a close, but two accidents in the event's final 15 laps cleared the way for Kyle Busch to win his first career Talladega race in the Cup Series.

A wreck on lap 173 started the madness when Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte ran out of room as the pack hit turn one. Labonte slid up the track and collected Snap-on's Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch as well as Jamie McMurray. Jeff Burton narrowly avoided the melee, braking hard and dodging to the left to miss the accident. Stewart, who led a race-high 61 laps, shrugged it off as typical late-race Talladega fireworks.

"That's what happens late in these races," Stewart said. "If it was my fault, I'm sorry. But by looking at the video, I don't think I did anything wrong."

Epic racing ensued when the race restarted with Kyle Busch leading the field and a bevy of machines in tow. Another caution flew when Labonte looped his car again in a single-car accident with eight laps remaining. The restart that followed set up the wild finish.

Michael Waltrip led the field to green with Jimmie Johnson, Busch, Juan Palo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer in hot pursuit. Johnson got by Waltrip on the first lap but promptly lost the lead to Busch. As the white flag fell and the field snaked into turn two, Earnhardt and McMurray got together, setting off a multi-car wreck that involved Jeff Burton and Kevin Harvick. The caution was thrown immediately, with Busch flagged the winner followed by Montoya, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan and Brian Vickers. Snap-on's Newman and Bowyer drafted to eighth- and ninth-place finishes, respectively.

Paul Menard enjoyed a strong afternoon, leading three laps before being spun while running third on lap 160. He did not hit anything and was able to rebound for a 15th-place run.

Burton and Harvick were credited with 17th- and 23rd-place showings respectively after being collected in the event's final crash. Burton maintains his point atop the standings, 22-markers in front of Busch.

DEI rookie Aric Almirola damaged his No. 8 machine when he slid into the wall on lap 52. He never fully recovered from the incident and finished 33rd, two spots in front of Sam Hornish Jr. in 35th.

Jon Wood made his first start of 2008 in the Cup Series in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. He was forced to pit road early in the event to change fluids and lost eight laps in the process. Wood finished 26th.

Martin Truex Jr. and Kurt Busch had heartbreaking days, as each was collected in the lap 173 crash while running squarely in the top 15. Truex was credited with 37th and Busch 38th.

Snap-on Nextel Cup Drivers - how they placed:
Ryan Newman (8th, led 5 laps) Clint Bowyer (9th, led 0 laps) Paul Menard (15th, led 3 laps) Jeff Burton (17th, led 1 laps) Kevin Harvick (23rd, led 1 laps) Aric Almirola (33rd, led 0 laps) Sam Hornish Jr. (35th, led 0 laps) Jon Wood (36th, led 0 laps) Martin Truex Jr. (37th, led 0 laps) Kurt Busch (39th, led 0 laps)

Bobby Hamilton Jr.:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Bobby Hamilton Jr. dodged his way through a wild melee on lap 71 that involved 14 cars to steer his No. 25 Ed Rensi-owned Ford to a season-best third-place finish in the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. "It was really wild. And, that was the wildest wreck," Hamilton said of the race-altering accident that occurred on the backstretch. "It was pretty wild as far as how it happened. The only other thing, too, that was really mind-blowing was that you couldn't get nothing done on the outside. You had to have a ton of help. The track has just so much grip. "But overall, like I said, you had to, once we got past that big one eliminating a lot of the cars, it was who could stick around the bottom and who's going to make the move at the end. But, overall, it worked out for us. Overall, it was a pretty good day. Talladega is simple: Put yourself in position and you're going to have a shot at winning -- well, maybe not at winning, because I don't think anybody could touch the 20, but put yourself in position and you're going to have a good day." The finish vaulted Hamilton up five spots in the point standings to 10th.

Scott Wimmer:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Scott Wimmer avoided the dreaded Talladega "Big One" and drafted his Richard Childress Racing Chevy to a ninth-place finish in the Aaron's 312. Wimmer started 19th and was working his way through the field when a 14-car pileup on lap 71 eliminated many of the pre-race favorites. The Wisconsin native now has three top-10 finishes in five starts in Nationwide Series competition in 2008.

Cale Gale:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Cale Gale made the first Nationwide Series start of his career at Talladega Superspeedway in the Aaron's 312 on Saturday. A strong qualifying effort that placed him ninth on the grid was ruined, however, when he was caught up in a 14-car wreck on lap 71. Although his No. 33 Kevin Harvick-owned Chevy was damaged, the crew was able to make repairs and get the car a 23rd-place finish.

Clint Bowyer:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Clint Bowyer qualified his No. 2 Richard Childress Racing Chevy sixth for the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway but was caught up in a wreck on lap 11. The accident occurred when Dario Franchitti blew a tire and hit the wall. His car slid down the track in turn three. "The 40 car (Franchitti) blew a right-rear tire and I had nowhere to go -- but that's about how my luck has been at Talladega," Bowyer said. "I'm really proud of Dan (crew chief Dan Deeringhoff) and all the guys on this Camping World Chevrolet for keeping their heads in the game and getting our car back out there. We hung in there and finished the race and that's what it takes to win a championship." Bowyer maintained the points lead despite the disappointing 25th-place finish.

Marcos Ambrose:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Marcos Ambrose was one of 14 cars caught in a lap 71 melee in the Aaron's 312 when Kevin Lepage came off pit road and bottled up the field on the backstretch. "There's nothing you can do in that situation and sometimes these things happen," said Ambrose. "We were running to plan, just hanging out there in the lead pack and getting ready to make a run at the front. I took the conservative approach like a lot of others. It was all running pretty smoothly but once the wreck started there was no stopping it." Ambrose's JTG Racing team made repairs to the damaged Ford, but he was forced to settle for a 28th-place finish. "We got it back out there and moved up a little, salvaging something out of nothing I guess. I've definitely got to thank the crew for that because we are trying to score all the points we can get. There's nothing you can do about it. We'll just put this behind us and look to run well at Richmond next week. We're certainly not the only ones that got caught up in it -- Talladega looked like a parking lot after the dust settled."

Steve Wallace:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Steve Wallace entered Saturday's Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway with a ton of momentum. After recording his first career Nationwide Series top 10 in Mexico City the week prior, Wallace led the field in Friday's first practice session in Talladega. He placed his No. 66 Chevy 25th on the starting grid but was involved in a lap 71 accident that wadded up 14 cars. He was forced to retire due to the extensive damage and officially finished 32nd.

Kelly Bires:
April, 26, 2008 | Talladega, Ala. -- Kelly Bires, who entered Saturday's Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspedway in the top 10 in Nationwide Series points, qualified his JTG Racing Ford 18th and seemed to have a strong car. However, Bires was involved in a major crash that damaged 14 cars and was forced to retire early. "I saw a car coming off of pit road and going about 100 miles an hour slower," Bires said of the accident. "It's just a bummer. There were a lot of good race cars that got torn up right there because of that deal. But it's alright. We had a great Clorox Ford Fusion all day. It would've been good. He had a flat tire there under green and had to pit, put a left front on it, and went back to the rear and was just going to ride there until caution came out and get our lap back, but we just didn't want to be in it. But, it was good. We had a really good racecar. It would've been a top-10 car, for sure." The resulting 36th-place finish dropped Bires one spot in the point standings to 11th.

Ron Hornaday:
April, 26, 2008 | Kansas City, Kan. -- Ron Hornaday absolutely dominated the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway, winning from the pole in his No. 33 Kevin Harvick, Inc. Chevy Silverado. Hornaday, who led 136 of 167 laps, had enough fuel to make it to the end in the crash-filled event where he held off teammate Jack Sprague to record his 34th-career Truck Series win. "I actually breathed it a little bit to make some kind of race out of it and I got a little sideways when I got down in the corner of turn three and he (Sprague) was a lot closer than I thought but it would have been a heck of a wreck if he would have gotten to the outside," Hornaday commented on the final restart. "I was actually loose and we made the (truck) a little freer on that last run and it would have been a wreck if he would have gotten to the outside." The win, Hornday's first of the 2008 season, vaulted the defending Truck Series champion to first in the point standings.

Jack Sprague:
April, 26, 2008 | Kansas City, Kan. -- Jack Sprague completed a 1-2 sweep for Kevin Harvick, Inc. with a second-place run in the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway. Sprague led a total of eight laps and made a valiant effort to overtake Hornaday's Chevy on the race's final restart, but just couldn't get past. "You know, we both had good trucks here all weekend," Sprague said. "I think I might have been better on the long runs, and on that last run, but I had to use a bit too much of the truck up coming from the back and I was also a little bit too tight too. So I don't know. We both had great trucks and we finished one-two, but I really wanted to win this race really bad and I tried really hard to stay out of trouble but we just came up one short. But who better to lose to than your teammate?" The finish was Sprague's first top five of the season. He sits ninth in the Truck Series point standings.

Jon Wood:
April, 26, 2008 | Kansas City, Kan. -- Jon Wood qualified his US Air Force Ford 32nd for the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway and was making headway until his day turned sour. Stacy Compton got loose in turn one on lap 36 and collected Wood. Both vehicles suffered heavy damage and Wood lost multiple laps while the team repaired his battered Ford. He returned to the track later in the race but finished 26th.

Snap-on Nextel Cup Drivers - how they placed:
Marcos Ambrose (2nd, led 0 laps) Clint Bowyer (6th, led 0 laps) Scott Wimmer (7th, led 13 laps) Steve Wallace (10th, led 0 laps) Sam Hornish Jr. (13th, led 0 laps) Kelly Bires (31st, led 0 laps) Ron Hornaday Jr. (32nd, led 0 laps)

Marcos Ambrose:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Marcos Ambrose recorded his highest career finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Sunday with a second-place run in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Ambrose qualified fourth but was forced to drop to the rear of the field after the team had to replace the clutch after final practice. He drove through the field once the race started but was penalized for speeding on pit road and again had to work his way to the front from the back of the pack where he ran out of laps, settling for second behind Kyle Busch.

Clint Bowyer:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Clint Bowyer retained his lead atop the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings with another solid run, this a sixth in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Although Bowyer never led a lap, he kept his Richard Childress-owned Chevy in the top 10 all afternoon en route to his seventh top-10 finish in nine Nationwide Series races in 2008.

Scott Wimmer:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Richard Childress' young Nationwide Series ace started 21st in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City, but quickly worked his way to the front. Wimmer led 13 laps on the afternoon and drove to a seventh-place finish. Wimmer's solid outing comes on the heels of his first win of the 2008 season, which came at Nashville Superspeedway.

Steve Wallace:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Steve Wallace recorded his first career top-10 run in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition with a 10th-place finish in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Wallace avoided one big wreck that happened directly in front of him and kept the fenders clean over a caution-filled final 40 laps to earn the finish.

Sam Hornish Jr.:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Sam Hornish Jr. overcame an accident with Adrian Fernandez with only 33 laps to go to score his best-ever finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a 13th in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City.

Kelly Bires:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Kelly Bires had a good day go bad in Sunday's Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. A top-10 car all afternoon, Bires' transmission let go late, relegating him to a 31st-place showing. Bires sits 10th in the Nationwide Series point standings.

Ron Hornaday Jr.:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Ron Hornaday Jr. avoided a myriad of wrecks throughout the day in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City, but had bad luck befall him late. Hornaday suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and was forced to settle for a 32nd-place finish.

Snap-on Nextel Cup Drivers - how they placed:
Marcos Ambrose (2nd, led 0 laps) Clint Bowyer (6th, led 0 laps) Scott Wimmer (7th, led 13 laps) Steve Wallace (10th, led 0 laps) Sam Hornish Jr. (13th, led 0 laps) Kelly Bires (31st, led 0 laps) Ron Hornaday Jr. (32nd, led 0 laps)

Marcos Ambrose:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Marcos Ambrose recorded his highest career finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on Sunday with a second-place run in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Ambrose qualified fourth but was forced to drop to the rear of the field after the team had to replace the clutch after final practice. He drove through the field once the race started but was penalized for speeding on pit road and again had to work his way to the front from the back of the pack where he ran out of laps, settling for second behind Kyle Busch.

Clint Bowyer:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Clint Bowyer retained his lead atop the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings with another solid run, this a sixth in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Although Bowyer never led a lap, he kept his Richard Childress-owned Chevy in the top 10 all afternoon en route to his seventh top-10 finish in nine Nationwide Series races in 2008.

Scott Wimmer:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Richard Childress' young Nationwide Series ace started 21st in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City, but quickly worked his way to the front. Wimmer led 13 laps on the afternoon and drove to a seventh-place finish. Wimmer's solid outing comes on the heels of his first win of the 2008 season, which came at Nashville Superspeedway.

Steve Wallace:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Steve Wallace recorded his first career top-10 run in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition with a 10th-place finish in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. Wallace avoided one big wreck that happened directly in front of him and kept the fenders clean over a caution-filled final 40 laps to earn the finish.

Sam Hornish Jr.:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Sam Hornish Jr. overcame an accident with Adrian Fernandez with only 33 laps to go to score his best-ever finish in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, a 13th in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City.

Kelly Bires:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Kelly Bires had a good day go bad in Sunday's Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City. A top-10 car all afternoon, Bires' transmission let go late, relegating him to a 31st-place showing. Bires sits 10th in the Nationwide Series point standings.

Ron Hornaday Jr.:
April, 20, 2008 | Mexico City, Mexico. -- Ron Hornaday Jr. avoided a myriad of wrecks throughout the day in the Corona Mexico 200 in Mexico City, but bad luck befell him late. Hornaday suffered a flat tire in the closing laps and was forced to settle for a 32nd-place finish.

"If I could take it back, I would. I didn't mean to get into Boris; I really like him. He's a great racer and I've idolized him in the past and I still do. If I could wind the clock back, I would. It's just hard racing up there. He checked up in the middle of the corner. I was getting something from behind and I wanted to defend my position. Our bumper bars just hooked and it just turned him around. It was just the craziest thing I've seen. I feel bad for him. I can't take it back."

On his race in Mexico:

"I feel like we had been battling all day. We had an overheating motor there at the end. We had to start at the back with a clutch problem and that was still there in the race and we had to watch that. Then we had to come from the back again because we miscalculated the fuel and we had an ignition stall. Then we had a penalty on pit lane and had to come from the back again. It had just been a day of fighting. I'm proud of my finish. This is my best finish since I've been in NASCAR. I've got to be pleased."

Clint Bowyer, No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet, finished sixth:

"Will (Lind, RCR Director of Competition) was spotting for me on the backside and reminded me that the position in front of me was worth five points but I could possibly lose a hundred points if something went wrong. Sometimes you just have to think big picture when you're racing for a championship. Every driver wants to compete for the position in front of him, whether it's first or 21st, so not going for it goes against what we do naturally. I guess I'll look at this as a race where I learned to be patient."

Steve Wallace, No. 66 Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet, finished 10th, his first top-10 finish in NASCAR:

"Today's race was a great run for our team. Our whole organization keeps making steps forward and today was a huge step for us. My first top-10 took a little longer to get than I would have hoped, but now that we've gotten it, I couldn't be happier. To be able to get it at a track with as much history as Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez makes it even more special.

"I think that we could have finished even better today, but right before the last caution came out, I got alongside Brad Keselowski and as I passed him, he "door-slammed" me for some reason. It hurt the suspension on our car a little bit and our Atreus Homes & Communities Chevrolet got really tight at the end of the race. With that said, I'm definitely not going to complain about our finish today; I hope that getting this first top-10 behind us will make them start happening a lot more. Harold Holly (crew chief) has been a huge key to our improvement this year and with his help, I really think that our No. 66 team is going to be in the top-10 a lot more often this season."

Kelly Bires, No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion, finished 31st:

"Well, we were going to have a good day. We had our pit strategy worked out where we would have easily have been a top-15 car if the cautions didn't come. All those cautions at the end of the race hurt us. We still would have been a top-20 car and probably finished 15th or so and just broke the clutch. I think it was with one lap to go, down the back short shoot and just lost the clutch. There's nothing you can do. It was a part failure. Otherwise we did a good job. My first road race, I learned a ton. We'll come back and go to Montreal and we'll be a lot better."

In Japan, Helio Castroneves would start from the pole as the series points leader after rain plagued qualifying and delayed the race itself by one day. Castroneves led the entire opening sequence before giving up the top spot to Scott Dixon in the pits.

Castroneves and the No. 3 team were determined to make up the lost ground and made a fuel mileage gamble on the last run after sliding back slightly as the race progressed. Castroneves had ducked into the pits to top off just before the final restart, giving him an advantage of about five laps on the other teams. As the leaders began to peel off into the pits in the closing laps, it appeared the bet would pay off, but Castroneves had to slow down drastically to conserve his dwindling fuel supply.

They were not the only team trying to stretch fuel and Castroneves' drop in speed allowed Danica Patrick to slip by and take the win. Patrick made history with the win, her first in 50 career starts, as the first woman to win a race in a closed course major American auto racing series. Castroneves settled for second and retains the series points lead.

"As I was running I knew I needed to do some kind of numbers that was really hard to do, and I was trying as much as I can," said Castroneves. "...and there must have been about five laps to go, I was really, really saving a lot of fuel, and when Danica passed by I didn't know she was the leader until when I passed the pagoda and checked the numbers, and I noticed that No. 3 was in front of No. 7 until that point, and I realized that I just lost the lead."

Patrick will share winning honors with Will Power for the weekend, winner of the Champ car finale in Long Beach on Sunday. All drivers will be back together this week in Kansas and for the remainder of the season.

Helio Castroneves' fellow Snap-on driver, Ryan Briscoe, ran solid all day in and around the top five and most importantly did the one thing he's been trying to do all season. Briscoe had an incident-free day and made the entire distance, finishing ninth. He now finds himself 20th in driver standings as he works on recovering from a rough start to the season.

The IndyCar Series will be back on track for one more prep before the big month of May in Indianapolis. All the drivers will be back together again for the RoadRunner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway this Sunday, April 27. Drivers will contest 200 laps for the race distance of 300 miles on the 1.5-mile oval. Television coverage begins at 5 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.

Although Talladega Superspeedway is known for high speeds and multi-car crashes, Martin Truex Jr. takes all of the excitement of the place in stride.

"There's nothing really secretive about Talladega," Truex said. "You know you're going to get three- and four-wide racing, bump drafting and at least one big wreck. You just try to put yourself in a position to win it at the end."

Truex won three consecutive Nationwide Series races at Talladega Superspeedway (from April 2004 to April 2006) and believes that experience serves him well when he returns to the 2.66-mile track.

But what about the rookies? In the season-opening Daytona 500, Sam Hornish Jr. garnered attention by capturing a 15th-place finish in his first-ever restrictor plate race. Running inside the top 10 for the first half of the race, Hornish was the top-finishing rookie for that event.

"I'm really looking forward to racing at Talladega because of how well we did in the Daytona 500 at the beginning of the season," said Hornish. "I'm happy that we are in the top 35 in owner points so we can spend practice running in the pack. That will be a big help as we prepare for Sunday's race."

"Our goals for race day are the same as they have been for this team all season," continued Hornish. "We need to race smart, avoid trouble, complete all the laps and hopefully walk away with a top-20 finish. The past few weeks have been good for us and we plan to continue our forward momentum in Talladega."

Talladega has been a bit of a sore spot for Clint Bowyer, who comes into the ninth race of the season eighth in points. In four starts at the larger-than-life 2.66-mile oval, he owns a 27.5 starting average, a 30.3 finishing average and has come up short in the laps completed category, having finished just 522 of the 756 total laps run over those four races (69 percent).

"You can be running second and go to pass the leader and if no one goes with you, you're going back to 10th or 11th in a big hurry," Bowyer explained. "There is a big risk-versus-reward factor at restrictor-plate races. Going to the front or getting shuffled out is the reward of winning the race or the downfall of trying to win. You can be running third and get a good run and think your going to go for the win on the last lap going down the back straightaway and end up 20th. That's just the way those races are but that's what makes them fun to watch."

The NASCAR Nationwide Series also takes to the fast-paced Talladega high banks this weekend for the Aaron's 312 on Saturday. Unlike their Cup counterparts who had a weekend off, they are freshly returned from the road course in Mexico City.

Marcos Ambrose has two top-20 finishes on superspeedways, one at Daytona in last year's NASCAR Nationwide Series and the other at Talladega in the 2006 NASCAR Truck Series.

The Australian will be out to post a strong finish in Talladega this weekend, conscious of continuing the momentum created by the Mexico result of second place as Ambrose seeks to push the No. 59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion into the top 10 in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

"We're taking our Daytona car to Talladega without too many changes and we're really hoping to have a good, solid run," said Ambrose. "The momentum we have after Mexico is a real boost to our guys so we want to keep it going and try to continue to improve and collect good points."

"Superspeedway racing is really fast and so close," Ambrose continued. "It's definitely a great place to race and it gets your attention. We will ride out the first part of the race and settle into the draft in the pack. Then once everyone has sorted themselves out we'll aim to move forwards and see what we've got."

Mobile, Ala.-native Cale Gale will be making his fourth start this season for Kevin Harvick Inc. for the Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway. Gale has earned top Rookie of the Race honors in his last two starts (Atlanta and Nashville) in the Nationwide Series as the top-finishing Rookie of the Year Contender. Does being from Alabama put more pressure on Gale to perform well in front of his home crowd?

"Obviously I want to perform well there," Gale said. "I want to go out and do the best I can and hopefully circumstances will be in our favor at the end. KHI won this race last year with Bobby (Labonte) and Tony (Stewart) finished second, making it a one-two finish for KHI. That's more pressure on me because we are returning with only one car this time. Wally (Rogers, crew chief) has already told me he is ready for a win, so Talladega would be a great place to start."

Some drivers just want to survive. Famous for multi-car wrecks, sometimes it doesn't matter how well your car performs. What matters is how lucky you are. Scott Wimmer knows that fact well.

"It seems like I have been in the wrong place at the wrong time so many times at Talladega," Wimmer said. "I have had some strong runs that were cut short by getting caught up in an accident. I'm taking the same Holiday Inn Chevrolet that we took to Daytona and the team has worked hard to make it better. Talladega is all about speed and handling doesn't matter as much. I think we will have a fast car and, hopefully, we can stay out of the wrecks and be there at the end."

While the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series drivers contend with Talladega, the Truck Series will return to action for the first time in a month at Kansas Speedway in a pairing with the IndyCar Series.

Now the 2008 season really takes front and center stage as the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway was the final race in which the top 30 starting positions were set by 2007 owner points. Last season the No. 2 Chevrolet only competed part-time in the Truck Series leaving it outside the top 30 in Owners Point standings at the beginning of the 2008 season. DeLana Harvick and the KHI No. 2 ACL Chevrolet have now gained top 30 status and are locked into the field. That means driver Jack Sprague can concentrate solely on the race and try to get his first win at Kansas, one of the few tracks on the circuit where he hasn't scored a victory.

"I have had some great trucks here; I have come so close to winning. I really don't know why this track is so difficult," said Sprague. "I guess it is because it's not like any others on the circuit. I remember in 2001 I was driving for Hendrick Motorsports, Ricky Hendrick was my teammate. I had led a large majority of the race, it was coming down into the closing laps and I broke a motor. Ricky Hendrick went on to win his first and only Truck race here. It was a bittersweet feeling, we were all really excited for Ricky but we really wanted that win."

Sprague's teammate Ron Hornaday has competed in a NASCAR race at Kansas Speedway every year since the track opened in 2001.

"Kansas Speedway is a pretty new track for the NASCAR Truck Series. I have only been in three truck races there, so we're still learning different things about the track," explained Hornaday. "Turn three at Kansas can be slippery if the sun is out and the track temperature is hot. One of the main things you have do if you want a good run there is get through turn three without any trouble."

"It seems like forever since we’ve raced," said Johnson from his shop in Irondale, Ala. "I know it’s really only been about three weeks, and our team has been really busy, but there’s nothing like real, on-the-track competition to keep your blood flowing.

"We’re ready for this coming weekend, believe me. We’ve been testing four times since we raced in Houston, and while we did find some things that will improve our performances, I’m not going to go out on a limb and make wild promises. I’d rather wait and see how quick and fast we are in Atlanta, and take it from there."

The goal this coming weekend is to make four good qualifying runs on Friday and Saturday, and then win two or three rounds of racing on Sunday.

"Yeah, we’d like to win all four rounds, but we have to be realistic," Johnson said. "If we can make it to the semifinal round we’ll know we’re headed in the right direction. That’s a realistic goal for us right now. It’s extremely tough competing against the Buells and Harley-Davidsons because they have a significant cubic inch advantage over the Suzukis. We’re not discouraged by that, though. It just makes us work that much harder."

Early this week he’s going to make numerous appearances with Snap-on representatives at new car dealerships and Suzuki motorcycle stores throughout the south. Then, on Thursday, he’ll travel to nearby Talladega for the induction ceremony at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame, which is something he’s really looking forward to.

"It’s amazing to be there with so many famous people from all facets of motorsports," he said, "but naturally, being a drag racer I’m really looking forward to the induction of Bill ‘Grumpy’ Jenkins. He’s one of the most honored ‘doorslammer’ drag racers and engine builders in our sport’s history, and he’s a very colorful character, too.

"I’m also looking forward to the induction of Ralph Seagraves, who was instrumental in bringing Winston sponsorship to drag racing. He passed away back in ’98, but I know the turnout for his induction will be huge because of what he did for our sport."

The next morning Johnson will hop on another commercial flight to Atlanta, where he’ll re-join his team, which will have arrived at Atlanta Dragway by Wednesday.

Along with an intensely busy schedule of personal appearances at schools on behalf of both Snap-on Tools and WyoTech Technical Schools, Johnson will also be the opening speaker at the Skills USA convention on Friday night in Lilburn, Ga., about 30 minutes from the track. With that scheduled to begin just 45 minutes after the last qualifying attempt of the evening he’ll be trading in his 195 mph Suzuki race bike for a microphone, as he’ll give a brief presentation on careers in motorsports and the technical industry.

"It’s going to be another busy weekend for us," Johnson admits, "but we wouldn’t have it any other way. I can’t wait for the race to start."

Marcos Ambrose sees his first road course race for 2008 as a chance to gain a 'leg up' in this year's NASCAR Nationwide Series. The Australian's prowess on road courses is well known, highlighted by a standout performance in the controversial event at Montreal in Canada last August, where he led the majority of the race only to be taken out in the final stages.

"It's a chance to get back on a road course," said Ambrose. "I'm really excited to be road racing again, just for the fact that we're going to be okay and we can turn our season around. We've had a really good build-up, I guess, but we haven't had any stand-up performances yet, so I'm hoping Mexico is going to be it."

"It's always exciting to go to another country," Ambrose continued. "The crowd there is pretty loud. It's an exciting place to race. I'm excited to get back there. I feel like I'm going back to my old haunts with the road-racing deal, so we're going to have a good weekend there. So, I'm looking forward to turning this season around, hopefully with a win or at least a top five."

Ambrose's teammate Kelly Bires is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum as far as his experience goes. The event will be Bires' first road course event in NASCAR and his first race on a road course since his days racing karts back in his native state of Wisconsin.

Bires heads into Mexico City after a strong road course test at Virginia International Raceway earlier this month, his first drive of a stock car on a road course. Bires and crew chief Scott Zipadelli quickly found rhythm and confidence at that test ahead of this weekend's road course event and exceeded their expectations. JTG Racing teammate Marcos Ambrose will also be on hand to offer advice over the weekend for Bires.

"I've never been to Mexico so I am looking forward to heading down there," said Bires. "The road course test at VIR was something new for me in terms of driving a (stock car) on a road course but I really enjoyed it. The car was great and I think we've got a good Clorox Ford Fusion for Mexico."

"Everyone looks at a track differently, so I will get down there and have a good look at the track myself," Bires continued. "Then after first practice I can compare my thoughts to what Marcos has to say. It's great that I can go to Marcos for information in Mexico. It will be a big help, but I think that I can do the job myself and be aiming for a top-15 finish, while I hope Marcos can get the win."

Bires won't be alone since even some of the series veterans like Scott Wimmer haven't quite gotten the hang of the road courses yet. In two NNS road course starts, Wimmer has a 23rd-place finish to call a career best. The 32-year-old driver has struggled on the road with a 26.0 starting average and a 26.5 average finish.

"The track throws a lot at the teams and it throws a lot at the drivers," said Wimmer. "I think every time we have been to Mexico we have seen interesting races. I never realized how big racing is in Mexico and the phenomenal circuit that they had there. There is a ton of history there with F1 running there and now NASCAR. I didn't realize how big the city is. We flew in at night last year and the city lights just seemed to go on forever. It was unbelievable to see from the air. It was neat to drive through different parts of town driving to the track and see all the diversity that is in the city."

Wimmer will be joined in Mexico by his Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer. Bowyer, the series points leader, is one of the few Sprint Cup Series regulars making the trip because he will be running the full Nationwide Series schedule. Still, he's not upset about giving up his off weekend.

"It's a lot of fun to go down there and be part of such a big race. It's a huge event. The track is a lot of fun to race on. Other than the chicane on the front straightaway, I really enjoy the track," said Bowyer. "I wouldn't say it's tight. I would call Sonoma tight. Mexico City is definitely flat so it doesn't have a lot of character in that regard. There are a lot of technical parts of the track. The big right-handed sweeper when you come down to the start/finish line is definitely pretty weird. It feels really funny when you're turning to the right for that long. It's hard to pass and that's kind of what brings out that physicality. That's one of the things that makes it fun."

Coverage of the Corona 200 can be seen live on ESPN starting at 1:30 PM EDT on Sunday, April 20th.

Clint Bowyer, No. 31 DirectTV Impala SS, finished second:

"Things just worked out," said Bowyer. "It was a good call by (crew chief) Gil (Martin) to stay out. But he told me from the get go we were only three laps from making it all the way. I just sort of started saving it and saving my brakes more than anything. And then in turn, it was saving fuel too. So it just worked out for us today."

Mark Martin, No. 01 U.S. Army Impala, finished fifth:

"Well, you know, we were saving gas," said Martin. "I thought we were trying to go, so we were real, real slow. I was just putting around out there. We had such an incredible car. I planned that run with 80 (laps) to go when we pitted. I said, 'can we go?' And we were just sort of saving the gas and trying to be there. I guess there was some confusion on the figuring and they decided that we were going to have to come (in for a pit stop).

"We just about pulled this one off tonight. We had a great, great car. We changed our strategy right there at the end. I saved a lot of gas, probably a lot more than they knew. We just had such a spectacular car, there at the end of the race, I didn't have to run it hard. There were a lot of laps I didn't get the throttle wide open on the straightaway. You can't stop if somebody else stays out. It is a privilege to drive for these guys, I want them to keep their chins up because we can win some of these races."

Jeff Burton, No. 31 AT&T Impala SS, finished sixth:

"It was a good finish for us, but we are missing something at this track, I am missing something at this track," said Burton. "It has been a thorn in our side. We were going to run 11th, 12th or something like that but Scott (Miller) made a great call and got us a sixth. We will certainly take it. I am disappointed in how we ran, I am disappointed in myself. We are just missing something. We had no damage to the car when we spun in the oil from the 12 when it blew up. We were probably pretty lucky there was no damage, we got a little dirt track racing in, but it worked out for us. There was a little bit of luck involved there."

Martin Truex Jr., No. 1 Bass Pro Shop/Tracker Boat Impala SS, finished eighth:

"We struggled with the engine a little bit missing, all day, especially coming off the corners," said Truex. "Then we experienced some problems with some wear on the right tire. We threw everything we had at the car, track bar adjustments, wedge adjustments and everything and I thought we had it pretty good there at the end. Just ran out of laps."

Kevin Harvick, No. 29 Reese's Impala SS, finished 19th:

"We had a great car and we kept getting it better throughout the race," said Harvick. "Todd (Berrier, crew chief) and the guys did a great job in the pits. We just got caught on pit road when we ran out of gas there near the end, lost some time having to refire the car. We should have finished at least in the top five."

Sam Hornish Jr., No 77 Mobil 1 Dodge Charger, finished 20th:

"It was rough for sure but we didn't have that great of a car but we just kind of did what we needed to do today," said Hornish. "We adjusted on it and made it better and looking at the scoreboard there to be the top finishing of the teammates that's the first time that's ever happened. I've got to look at that and be a little bit happy.

"I know that Kurt and Ryan both had problems today and it didn't work out that good but even that can make me feel a little bit better right now. I was just real happy. I've said in the past that we didn't feel like we were keeping up with the track. We were tight at the beginning and we couldn't make enough adjustments to keep it from getting more tight. Today we kind of kept up with the track. We didn't go on the good side but we kept up with the track so I was real happy with that. Hopefully we'll build on this and continue to move forward and get some better finishes in the future."

Paul Menard, No. 15 Johns Manville/Menards Chevrolet, finished 21st:

"It was another strong day for the team," said Menard. "In my opinion, we've really established ourselves as a top-20 team and back that up with solid finishes every week to prove our strength as an organization."

Kurt Busch, No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger, finished 23rd:

"We started the race really loose and got the car way too tight when we went to adjusting on it," said Busch. "We stayed out during one of the cautions to gain track position (up to third), but just couldn't hang with the frontrunners when we went back to green. The car got so unbelievably tight during the final run that I could barely hang on. The best thing that happened for us tonight was being able to stretch the fuel mileage at the end and finish without having to pit again."

Bill Elliott and the No. 21 Motorcraft Ford Fusion battled through a series of indiscriminate issues Saturday night on the one-mile, desert-landscaped race track, that concluded with a 32nd-place finish.

Ryan Newman, No. 12 Alltel Dodge Charger, finished 43rd:

"We lost a front seal," said Newman. "It's the same thing that happened to us in Bristol. It's disappointing. That's two times in the first eight races that we had the same problem. Our engine company needs to get their stuff together. The motor still runs fine. It just pumps oil out the front-end and it gets on the headers and smokes real bad. I apologize what I did to the race track, but that's all I had to work with."

NASCAR Nationwide Series

Kevin Harvick, No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, finished fourth:

"I was really pleased with the car and the performance that we put in," said Harvick. "We have to continue to work on the small things, but overall I can see progress each and every week. The small things will take us from running in the top five to victory lane."

Clint Bowyer, No. 2 Camping World Chevrolet, finished eighth:

"I'm not sure where that speeding penalty came from but it is what it is I guess. The Camping World Chevy was definitely a top-five car but, all things considered, we'll take eighth and go on to Mexico City next weekend. I feel like I am getting better at road racing so I'm excited to get down there and get going."

Bobby Hamilton Jr. and the No. 25 team had a great run in Phoenix, starting the race 15th and finishing 13th. Next week Hamilton will surrender his seat for Boris Said on the road course in Mexico City.

Steve Wallace and the No. 66 Atreus Homes and Communities Dodge finished 16th, the first car one lap down.

Marcos Ambrose, No. 59 Kingsford Hickory Ford Fusion, finished 17th:

"We had a reasonable day out there and brought it home," said Ambrose. "I was waiting for the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap, because I really thought we could have had something for a lot of them towards the end to push us up the order. In the end we were trapped a lap down but we finished and added to the points. It wasn't a bad day for the Kingsford team and we will look to step it up a notch over the next few races."

Kelly Bires, No. 47 Clorox Ford Fusion, finished 19th:

"We had a really good car today and I think we were capable of challenging for a top-10 position," said Bires. "It was just unfortunate what happened on pit road during our second stop because that ruined our day. I'm not sure what the 64 car was thinking when he spun us out on pit road. I think I was around 13th at the time and we were capable of running a lot better. It took us out of the battle up front and it lost me about 20 spots, but at least we can say we had a good Clorox car today. It was a good recovery, but it's just unfortunate because we worked so hard to get the car as good as it was."

Jeff Burton, No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet, finished 31st:

"The Holiday Inn Chevy had a shot at a top-five finish but things happen," said Burton. "I messed up today and caused that wreck. Some may say that the mishap in the pits put me in a bad spot but I drive the car and I was the one that got into the No. 99 car. I don't want my guys to beat themselves up for what I did. Scott (Wimmer) will be in the car next week in Mexico and hopefully he can have a strong finish for Holiday Inn."

With his finish, Coughlin moved around former No. 1 racer Greg Anderson, who lost in the opening session, but was caught and equaled by Anderson’s teammate Line when the former series champion denied Greg Stanfield in the final round.

"It’s been a heck of a year already," said Coughlin, a winner earlier this season in Gainesville, Fla. "We’ve had four different race winners in the first five races and it looks as though it’s going to be a dog-fight every weekend. We wouldn’t want it any other way. We love competition and it doesn’t get any better than this."

Entering the day as a slight underdog to Mike Edwards, Coughlin dismissed his friend by one hundredth of a second, leaving the starting line first (.026 to .033) and clicking the timers first with a 6.797 at 203.25 mph in his JEGS.com Chevrolet Cobalt, just ahead of Edwards’ 6.800 at 203.92 mph.

Coughlin was sharp once again versus Line, leaving with an eight-thousandths of a second edge. But on this day Line had a slightly quicker car and he was able to catch and pass Coughlin to win with a 6.789 at 203.83 mph to Coughlin’s 6.826 at 203.58 mph.

"It wasn’t our best weekend of racing but we were able to regain a share of the points lead, which was our No. 1 goal," Coughlin said. "It’s very interesting how it’s all shaking out and the fans are certainly getting their money’s worth this year.

"It’s crazy to think how close everything has become. If you look at everything we did collectively as a team, we had a great weekend. But one little blip can be the difference between winning and losing. Our spirits are high and we’re already looking forward to a big weekend in Atlanta."

The next POWERade race occurs May 2-4 at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Ga.

Jimmie Johnson and crew chief Chad Knaus watched car after car duck off the track and onto pit road for a splash of fuel in the waning laps of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 from Phoenix International Raceway. All the while, Johnson feathered the throttle, conserving fuel and being patient. The strategy worked, as Johnson earned his first win of the 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup season. The win was also Hendrick Motorpsorts' first victory of the young season.

"I'm shocked that I was able to save fuel running that hard up through the field," Johnson said of the gamble. "I restarted in 14th on that last restart and drove to third on my own and then I got to the front and was able to manage some fuel. I just can't thank everyone at Hendrick for working so hard. Obviously we haven't had the start to the season that we wanted but these guys on this Lowe's team worked really hard to give me a great Impala and now we did it tonight."

Mark Martin appeared to have the race in hand after passing Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the lead on lap 272. With fuel a concern, though, Martin was called to pit road on lap 301, handing the lead to Johnson.

"You hate to see it come down that way," said Martin, who finished fifth after leading a total of 68 laps. "But you also don't want to run out of fuel with one lap to go and finish 20th in a race that you've been up front the entire time. Again, it was a great run and this is a great race team. It won't be our last chance to win."

Clint Bowyer and his Richard Childress Racing team rolled the dice on fuel as well, and, like Johnson, it paid off.

"We were probably about a seventh- or 10th-place car all night," Bowyer confessed. "Never really got any higher than that. But, you know, things worked out. We were kind of conserving brakes there in that last run, backing the corners up, backing the corners up, which in turn saved fuel. About halfway through that run, could you tell it might go all the way that we were strung out that far.

"Gil (Martin, crew chief) said to save as much gas as you can. I did. He told me we were only three laps shy of making it before that run started. I don't think I was near as worried about it as he was. I knew how much I was saving out there. I was pretty sure I saved enough."

Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards and Martin rounded out the top five. Jeff Burton ran sixth to maintain his stranglehold on the Sprint Cup points lead. Earnhardt followed in seventh while Martin Truex Jr. was eighth. Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch finished ninth and 10th, respectively.

Snap-on's Kevin Harvick, Sam Hornish Jr. and Paul Menard lined up 19th – 21st on the pylon. Kurt Busch was 23rd, the victim of handling issues.

Bill Elliott was scored 31st, three laps off the pace. Ryan Newman, who sat on the pole and led 37 laps on the evening, blew an engine on lap 134 and was forced to retire after a solid weekend. He finished 43rd.

Snap-on Nextel Cup Drivers - how they placed:
Clint Bowyer (2nd, led 0 laps) Mark Martin (5th, led 68 laps) Jeff Burton (6th, led 0 laps) Martin Truex Jr. (8th, led 0 laps) Kevin Harvick (19th, led 0 laps) Sam Hornish Jr. (20th, led 0 laps) Paul Menard (21st, led 0 laps) Kurt Busch (23rd, led 0 laps) Bill Elliott (31st, led 0 laps) Ryan Newman (43rd, led 37 laps)

Kevin Harvick:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- The NASCAR Nationwide Series traveled to Phoenix International Raceway for the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 on Friday night under the lights. Kevin Harvick and the No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet started from the fifth position and remained in the top five for most of the race, running some of the fastest laps of the night. With a fast car and sights set on the leader, Harvick was able to wheel the No. 33 car to the fourth position. Harvick now has four top-five finishes in his seven Nationwide Series starts.

Clint Bowyer:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Clint Bowyer continued his stellar 2008 Nationwide Series performance with an eighth-place run in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. It was not without incident, though. Bowyer was penalized for speeding on pit road during a late caution period and was forced to relinquish fourth place, dropping to 13th, the last car on the lead lap. Bowyer rallied though, gaining five spots in the race's final 20 laps. "I'm not sure where that speeding penalty came from but it is what it is I guess," Bowyer said following the event. "The Camping World Chevy was definitely a top-five car but, all things considered, we'll take eighth and go on to Mexico City next weekend. I feel like I am getting better at road racing so I'm excited to get down there and get going."

Bobby Hamilton Jr.:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Team Rensi continue to defy the odds in the Nationwide Series. At a time when big-budget Cup-affiliated teams dominate the series, the Hamilton/Rensi pairing plugs along as an independent, recording consistent finishes that keep the Nashville-native in the top 12 in Nationwide Series points. Friday night's Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway was no exception. Hamilton qualified 15th and kept the fenders clean on his way to a lead lap, 13th-place finish.

Steve Wallace:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Steve Wallace battled back from a lap 105 spin, courtesy of rookie Landon Cassill, to notch a solid 16th-place finish in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway, his fourth top-20 finish in the last five races. Wallace's pit crew did their job on the race's final stop, getting Wallace in and out of his pit box in 15.2 seconds to set up the strong finish.

Marcos Ambrose:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Marcos Ambrose qualified his No. 59 Ford 11th for the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway and had a solid run, staying comfortably in the top 20 throughout the race. Although he fell one lap down, Ambrose was able to deliver a nice points-paying result, as he finished 17th in the race and sits 17th in the point standings. "We had a reasonable day out there and brought it home," Ambrose said. "I was waiting for the Lucky Dog to get back on the lead lap, because I really thought we could have had something for a lot of them towards the end to push us up the order. "In the end we were trapped a lap down but we finished and added to the points. It wasn't a bad day for the Kingsford team and we will look to step it up a notch over the next few races."

Kelly Bires:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Kelly Bires qualified 23rd for the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway but appeared to have a car that was ready to go to the front. That changed when his No. 47 Ford was spun on pit road while running 13th. "We had a really good car today and I think we were capable of challenging for a top-10 position," Bires said. "It was just unfortunate what happened on pit road during our second stop because that ruined our day. I'm not sure what the 64 car was thinking when he spun us out on pit road. I think I was around 13th at the time and we were capable of running a lot better. It took us out of the battle up front and it lost me about 20 spots, but at least we can say we had a good Clorox car today." The accident dropped him to the back of the field, and Bires was forced to spend the remainder of the race playing catch-up. "It was a good recovery, but it's just unfortunate because we worked so hard to get the car as good as it was. When we rolled it off the truck we really were not that strong but we worked at it and had a great car in the race. The team did a great job."

Jeff Burton:
April, 12, 2008 | Phoenix, Ariz. -- Jeff Burton had an uncharacteristically poor run in the Bashas' Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Battling an ill-handling racecar that had already sustained damage, Burton blew a tire late in the event and hit the wall. He was forced to retire on lap 192 of 202 and finished 31st.

They say what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, after this weekend, the NHRA Snap-on drivers are more than happy to leave Vegas and all that happened behind them. All the Snap-on drivers seemed to miss the mark over the course of the weekend, sending them home early.

Doug Herbert:
April, 13, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nev. -- Doug Herbert continued to show improvement in his qualifying efforts this weekend. Herbert was able to launch down the track in 4.617 seconds at 315.05 mph. The effort put Herbert in the top half of the ladder in the eighth spot. Herbert had a tough draw in the first round in Brandon Bernstein. Herbert was able to leave the line first with a sizeable advantage, but unfortunately things went wrong. Herbert's Snap-on Top Fuel dragster dropped cylinders while Bernstein was straight down the other lane for the win. "I had a starting line advantage, but it just wasn't our day. We dropped a cylinder early and that put us behind," Herbert said. "This set us back a little, but we will be in there fighting for the championship. We will get back to the shop, regroup, work on some things and come back ready for Atlanta in a few weeks."

Cruz Pedregon:
April, 13, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nev. -- Cruz Pedregon qualified in the fifth spot on the strength of a 4.873-second pass at 309.56 mph. Despite the strong qualifying effort, Pedregon still had to square off with a fellow Snap-on driver, Gary Densham. Pedregon was down and away first and was powering away from Densham, but suddenly the Snap-on Funny Car dropped a cylinder. Once that happened, Pedregon's car drifted to the wall and tapped it. The result was a disqualification, sending Densham to the second round.

Tony Pedregon:
April, 13, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nev. -- Tony Pedregon had a bit of an off-day in the qualifying sessions. Pedregon's Snap-on Funny Car only qualified 10th overall. His best effort was a 4.914-second pass at 317.49 mph. Pedregon faced off with Gary Scelzi in the first round on Sunday and Scelzi took the early advantage on the heels of a good light. Pedregon quickly made up the ground and took the win in convincing fashion. Pedregon's next opponent would be Tim Wilkerson. Both Pedregon and Wilkerson were slow off the line, cutting disappointing lights. Pedregon managed to inch away first, but spun the tires significantly. The end result was an early exit for Pedregon.

Gary Densham:
April, 13, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nev. -- Gary Densham was on the hot seat each of the last two events, narrowly making the field. This week in Vegas, Densham made sure he didn't have to sweat it out. Densham notched a solid 4.924-second pass at 310.91 mph to lock himself into the 12th spot. Densham had to fight off a tough opponent in Cruz Pedregon in the first round to advance. Things didn't look good for Densham when Pedregon got off the line first and began to drive away quickly. Densham continued on and Pedregon drifted into the wall, resulting in a disqualification. Round 2 matched youth verses experience as Densham matched up with youngster Ashley Force. Force left the line first and Densham lost traction and had to shut his Snap-on hot rod down. Force cruised on for the win, sending Densham home early.

Jeg Coughlin:
April, 13, 2008 | Las Vegas, Nev. -- Jeg Coughlin found himself in an unfamiliar spot heading into Sunday. Coughlin ran a 6.743-second, 204.42 mph pass to slide into the 10th overall position. Coughlin's first round opponent was Mike Edwards. Coughlin jumped off the line first and took advantage of the lead. He drove away for the hole-shot win. In the second round Coughlin beat Jason Line out of the staging area, but Line was too strong. By the time they crossed the lights, Line was out front for good. Next up for the NHRA is the Summit Racing Equipment Southern Nationals from Atlanta. Qualifying can be seen April 26 at 6 p.m. EDT on ESPN2. Eliminations can be seen the following night at 7 p.m. EDT also on ESPN2.