[an error occurred while processing this directive] 11/07/2009

Jimmie Johnson's drive toward history makes stop in Texas

Jimmie Johnson climbs out of his car after making a practice run Saturday morning at Texas Motor Speedway.
BRANDON WADE / Special to DMN

Jimmie Johnson, whose Lowe's/Kobalt Tools Chevrolet was the fastest car during Saturday's practice, needs an average 10th-place finish over the final three races to guarantee a title. He starts the Dickies 500 today (2:15 p.m., Ch. 8) from the 12th spot.

Busch 2-for-2 after winning O'Reilly Challenge at TMS
Kyle Busch keeps extending streaks at Texas in search of a NASCAR first. Busch won his fourth consecutive Nationwide Series race at the 1½-mile, high-banked track Saturday. The dominating victory came a day after he won his fifth truck race in his last five starts in the series. He will try to complete an unprecedented trifecta Sunday and become the first driver to win all three of NASCAR's national series on the same weekend.

Driver continues to achieve dreams
The man driving the Dream in Color car in today's Dickies 500 knows about dreams. Colombian-born Juan Pablo Montoya is in NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup for the first time. He is in fourth place heading into today's event, where he will start in the 20th position.

Saturday's TMS notebook
Michael McGee says seven is his lucky number. If Kurt Busch wins today's Dickies 500, two will be his new lucky number. McGee will win $1 million if Busch takes the checkered flag.

Busch makes it five straight
Kyle Busch powered into the lead with 50 laps to go, making an aggressive move to the top of the track and shooting past points leader Ron Hornaday's No. 33 Chevrolet as he secured his fifth consecutive NASCAR Camping World Trucks victory.

McMurray closing season on a high note
Jamie McMurray, whose contract with Roush Fenway Racing is up after this season, comes into Sunday's Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway feeling good.

Gordon tuning up for a TMS sweep
Jeff Gordon is suddenly having all kind of success at Texas Motor Speedway, a track where he had never won until earlier this season.

11/06/2009

Keselowski ready for double duty
Brad Keselowski is headed for a full-time ride in the Sprint Cup series, starting this weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. It is where every driver wants to end up, in the top series in NASCAR, and Keselowski will work for one of the most respected owners in auto racing - Roger Penske. But Keselowski isn't leaving the Nationwide series behind.

Plano native will take on back-to-back races at TMS
James Buescher of Plano is pulling double duty this weekend, driving in the Camping World Truck Series and Nationwide Series races. Buescher, 19, raced in the spring truck race, but today is his first Nationwide race at the track where he began racing Bandoleros at 12. This is Buescher's first Nationwide race this season in the No. 1 Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet.

11/05/2009

Vickers having trouble keeping pace in Chase
The Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship has been a downright disaster for Brian Vickers. It would be a tougher pill for him to swallow if he had not already accomplished his season goals before the Chase started.

21-year-old Truck Series driver learning patience
Two seasons in the Camping World Truck Series have taught Colin Braun something.

11/06/2009

Flashing Cowboys Stadium smack talk at TMS?
There is a spot facing the media center where TMS typically hangs a promotional banner, such as the boxing-themed "Rumble at the Speedway" banner featuring Danica Patrick and Casey Wheldon for the 2007 IRL race.

11/04/2009

'Awesome boss' Stewart driven to win
Since Tony Stewart took an ownership role in the team after the 2008 season, changing the name to Stewart-Haas Racing, the organization that once was lucky to have a driver make a race is now one that has two drivers in the Chase.

11/03/2009

Hornaday could coast to Trucks championship but vows he won't
If the Dickies 500 is nothing more than a Sunday drive for likely Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, what's Ron Hornaday's night going to be like Friday in the WinStar World Casino 350?

TMS race week schedule

Title run gives Kyle Busch solace
This was supposed to be the year Kyle Busch broke through and won a NASCAR championship. That's probably going to happen, just not in the series that was expected.

11/01/2009

Chase for the Cup comes to TMS almost wrapped up
Jamie McMurray was the unlikely winner of an uncharacteristically dull race at Talladega Superspeedway, where a ban on bump-drafting forced most drivers to coast until the end Sunday.

11/02/2009

Newman critical of NASCAR's restrictions
Ryan Newman heard NASCAR president Mike Helton's terse talk about bump drafting before Sunday's Amp Energy 500. That talk didn't keep Newman from having to be cut out of his car.

10/28/2009

Newman's 2009 success shouldn't be overlooked
Lost in the wave of Tony Stewart's success in his first year as a driver-owner has been the other Stewart-Haas driver. Ryan Newman hasn't received the same attention as his new boss, nor has he won a race while driving the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet. But he has quietly put together an outstanding season.

10/25/2009

Hamlin wins Sprint Cup stop in Martinsville
Denny Hamlin didn’t need to do anything funny to exact his revenge from Jimmie Johnson at Martinsville Speedway. He just drove right by him.

10/24/2009

Johnson outdistancing rivals in Chase for the Cup
Jimmie Johnson hears the chatter in the garage and knows that some of his fellow drivers have grown weary of seeing him win races and championships. They may get wearier today. Johnson takes a 90-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin into today's race at Martinsville Speedway, where Johnson does some of his best work.

10/22/2009

Some wind up off track
The Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship is showing how overrated momentum is.

10/21/2009

Some wind up off track
The Sprint Cup Chase for the Championship is showing how overrated momentum is. Three of the hottest drivers entering the Chase were Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Brian Vickers. Halfway through the 10-race playoff, they are ninth (Kahne), 11th (Hamlin) and 12th (Vickers), and have almost no shot at winning the title.

10/19/2009

Kasey Kahne knows the spin: One bad finish, and you're done
Kasey Kahne faced long odds of winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship. They got longer when he spun out of a probable top-10 finish and into 34th two weeks ago at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.

10/18/2009

Johnson putting Chase rivals in his rear view mirror
Jimmie Johnson has a commanding lead in the race for the Sprint Cup title. He's practically on cruise control to a NASCAR-record fourth consecutive championship after Saturday night's win at Lowe's Motor Speedway gave Johnson his third win in five Chase for the championship races this season.

10/14/2009

NASCAR's first Hall of Fame class draws cheers and jeers
NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. headlined the five inductees into the first Hall of Fame class, a group that drew mixed reactions to the inclusion of France's son instead of driver David Pearson.

10/11/2009

Jimmie Johnson takes Chase lead with Sprint Cup win
Jimmie Johnson's fourth win at the 2-mile oval propelled him into the lead in the standings for the first time all season. He'll take a 12-point lead over Mark Martin into Saturday night's race at Charlotte.

Edwards wins in Virginia, closes in on title
Pro Stock driver Mike Edwards went wire-to-wire at the NHRA Virginia Nationals on Sunday, earning the maximum 150 points to all but clinch his first career NHRA Full Throttle Series world championship.

10/10/2009

Franchitti wins IRL season finale in Miami to claim driving title

Dario Franchitti celebrates after winning the season-ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
AP

Dario Franchitti successfully emerged from one of the closest points races in series history Saturday, winning the season-ending Indy 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the first caution-free IRL race ever.

Indy Racing League champions
A list of the winners of the Indy Racing League.

Logano races to fifth Nationwide victory of season
Joey Logano avoided a late-race collision and held off Brian Vickers to win the NASCAR Nationwide Copart 300 on Saturday at Auto Club Speedway for his fifth series victory of the season and second in two weeks.

Credential of Logano's father pulled after altercation
NASCAR officials pulled Joey Logano's father's credential after he confronted Greg Biffle on Saturday following the Nationwide Series race.

Danica needs seat time to excel, Johnson says
Jimmie Johnson has some advice for Danica Patrick if the IndyCar star really wants to make the move to NASCAR: don't do it part-time.

10/08/2009

Sprint Cup driver Edwards still seeks shot at title
Texas Motor Speedway officials decided to play a joke on Carl Edwards on Thursday at a media event at a shooting range. They loaded Edwards' gun with blanks. While funny, it was also fitting.

10/07/2009

Kurt Busch stays on track in Sprint Cup Chase
A funny thing happened to Kurt Busch and what was supposed to be a 10-race ordeal. Three races into the Chase, he is still a title contender, sitting fifth in points, 91 behind first-place Mark Martin.

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