WINNERS & LOSERS: The beat goes on for Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick; Earnhardt Ganassi duo not so fortunate
Kevin Harvick (29), here battling with Richard Childress Racing teammate Jeff Burton in the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, scored his second consecutive runnerup finish Sunday and continues to lead the points battle. // Bambi Mattila, NASCAR Illustrated
It’s a given that race winner Jimmie Johnson deserves accolades for his team’s performance in the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But Johnson was far from the only driver coming out of Las Vegas with a solid outing in the third NASCAR Sprint Cup Series of the year.
On the flip side, there are a number of teams who will head out of Las Vegas licking their wounds. No doubt hoping for better results when the series turns to Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend.
WINNERS
1. Jimmie Johnson – Once again, the four-time champion got the job done when it counted. The race isn’t over until these guys say it’s over.
2. Jeff Gordon – The two-tire call might have cost Gordon the win but that doesn’t alter the fact that he was dominant all day, leading all but, ironically, 48 laps.
3. Kevin Harvick – The Richard Childress Racing driver bagged his second consecutive runnerup finish, and solidified his status as a contender in 2010.
4. Joey Logano – His sixth-place finish was yet another standout performance. The 19 year old continues to impress.
5. Matt Kenseth – The Roush Fenway Racing driver was able to battle back from a lap down and finish fifth. It’s obvious he and crew chief Todd Parrott are clicking.
LOSERS
1. Earnhardt Ganassi Racing – A promising day went awry for both Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya when McMurray got loose and tangled with his teammate on lap 93. After winning the Daytona 500, McMurray has finished 17th and 34th. It was the second consecutive 37th-place finish for Montoya.
2. Kyle Busch – The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was en route to a likely top-five when he was caught speeding on pit road. The end result was an apology to his crew and a 15th-place finish.
3. Kurt Busch – Much was expected after the Penske Racing driver won the pole on Friday. But it was his misfortune to be directly behind the McMurray/Montoya incident, and his Dodge suffered significant damage.
4. Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Sure the track had a sellout crowd for the Cup race, but caution-light malfunctions on two occasions were embarrassing. Officials are fortunate it didn’t occur in the final laps of the race.
COOL-DOWN LAPS
“We had a situation at Daytona and driver error at California and we finally got a top 10 here, so I think we’re where we should have been in the other races. Now we just have to keep working hard to try and get those points back.” – Kasey Kahne, who finished ninth
“To have two great runs like that (Fontana and Las Vegas) – it’s exciting coming into the season. Next week will probably be a tough one; Atlanta is one [track] where we struggled a lot last year.” – Joey Logano, who finished sixth
“I was trying to get out of Tony Stewart’s way and I didn’t give him quite enough room and got in the fence a second time.” – Kevin Conway, on bringing out the caution on Lap 230
“I was a sitting duck for the wreck in front of us. Do we get collected if we’re on the inside lane? Who knows?” – Kurt Busch (35th), on his involvement in the lap-93 wreck with Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya
“Once we got a decent handle on it, we were two laps down and then I was speeding on pit road. … It was one of those days we started digging a hole and it kept getting deeper and we didn’t figure out how to put dirt back in it.” – Sam Hornish, on his 28th-place finish
“We ran a really patient race, but on our last stop there was too much rear brake and I slid across the line coming in. Totally my fault.” – Kyle Busch (15th) on a costly pit-road speeding penalty
“Oh, you're probably just frustrated for what happened on the race track, so you guys [the media] probably shouldn't put a lot of stock into what he said when you ask somebody something immediately after getting crashed. They typically don't have nice things to say.” – Jamie McMurray, on teammate Juan Pablo Montoya’s disparaging comments after their crash
“Gil [Martin, crew chief] made a great call in the middle of the race to get us track position. Once we got track position, our car was really fast.” – Kevin Harvick, runnerup for the second consecutive race
“Well we finished and that’s more than what we’ve done the last two. Our season starts right now. We’ve got to build from that.” Marcos Ambrose, who finished 14th.
