Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) denies rumors that they will switch to Toyota's for the 2008 NASCAR season. There have been reports that JGR to Toyota is a done deal. JGR officials have said they would like to resign Tony Stewart through the 2011 season, Stewart's current contract ends after the 2009 season. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

  

   

 

 

Juan Pablo Montoya pitted with over 40 laps left Sunday at Infineon and stretched his fuel to the end on way to winning his first career Nextel Cup race. Montoya was told that he was three laps short but stretched it till the end and held off Kevin Harvick and passed Jamie McMurray on way to the win.

 

Harvick who was waiting for both Montoya and McMurray to run out of fuel finished second. McMurray did run out of fuel and finished 37^th. Harvick was the lead car in second of a Richard Childress Racing train as his teammates Jeff Burton and Clint Bowyer finished third and fourth respectively. Greg Biffle rounded out the top five.

 

Tony Stewart finished sixth followed by Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Boris Said and Denny Hamlin. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

 

 

 

DRUMMONDVILLE, QUE - The drought is over.

 

Steve Francis won his first World of Outlaws Late Model Series event in over a year on Saturday night, capturing the historic ‘Quebec 50’ at Autodrome Drummond.

 

“We needed this,” a relieved Francis said after taking the checkered flag in the first-ever WoO LMS program run in Canada.

 

With a huge crowd looking on from the three-eighths-mile track’s tall grandstand, Ashland, Ky.’s Francis passed Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., for the lead on lap 21 and never looked back. He dominated the A-Mains’s second half en route to pocketing $10,000 for his first WoO LMS triumph since May 6, 2006, at Bruschcreek Motorsports Complex in Peebles, Ohio.

 

Rick Eckert of York, Pa., chased Francis for the race’s final 24 laps but never made a serious bid for the lead, finishing 1.599 seconds back in second place. It was Eckert’s second consecutive runner-up finish and fourth overall – without a win – of the 2007 WoO LMS season.

 

Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., finished third, followed by Chub Frank of Bear Lake, Pa., and Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga.

 

Clint Smith of Senoia, Ga., maintained his WoO LMS points lead with a sixth-place finish, but he lost two spots on the final lap after a broken spindle caused his car to fall off the pace.

 

Twenty-two cars entered the tour’s first international event.

 

Results of WoO Late Model Series ‘Quebec 50’ (Finishing Position/Start/Driver/Laps Completed/Money Won):

 

1. (4) Steve Francis/50 $10,000

2. (1) Rick Eckert/50 $5,000

3. (3) Tim Fuller/50 $3,250

4. (5) Chub Frank/50 $2,500

5. (6) Shane Clanton/50 $2,000

6. (10) Clint Smith/50 $1,700

7. (8) Darrell Lanigan/50 $1,400

8. (9) Billy Decker/50 $1,800

9. (12) John Mason/50 $1,200

10. (16) Johnny Cloer Jr./49 $1,100

11. (14) Dan Stone/48 $1,050

12. (11) Pat O’Brien/48 $1,500

13. (19) Kayle Robidoux/48 $950

14. (2) Josh Richards/33 $950

15. (7) Brian Shirley/27 $950

16. (13) George Lee/23 $800

17. (15) Yan Bussiere/20 $770

18. (21) Peter Mantha Jr./17 $750

19. (17) Luke Carleton/14 $730

20. (18) Jason Dupont/12 $700

21. (20) Jason Jameson/11 $700

22. (22) Jim Stine/7 $700 SCR

 

 

 

 

Denny Hamlin jumped in the No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet after a caution on lap 57 Saturday night and raced to the victory giving rookie Aric Almirola his first career Busch Series victory. Almirola started the race in the Joe Gibbs Racing entry as Hamlin missed the start of the race because his helicopter could not find a place to land.

 

When the caution flew on lap 57 Almirola was brought into the pits and taking out of the car so Hamlin could take over, a move that you could clearly see Almirola was not happy with. During the driver change the No. 20 team lost a lap, Hamlin worked his way back to the front and took the lead of the race with 78 laps to go.

 

The win was little comfort to Almirola who not only started the race but also qualified the car on the pole and led the race for the first 44 laps when series points leader Carl Edwards took the top spot.

 

Scott Wimmer who led the race late finished second, Wimmer said his car was not good on the short run. Jason Leffler finished third he was followed by Almirola and Hamlin’s teammate Brad Coleman fourth and Jason Keller rounded out the top five.

 

Finishing sixth was Todd Bodine who was filling in for Dave Blaney; he was followed by David Reutimann, Edwards, Johnny Benson and Shane Huffman.

 

According to NASCAR the relief driver appearance by Hamlin with the win is the first in the Busch Series since April 13, 1985. On that day Jack Ingram turned his car over to Harry Gant at the Darlington Raceway and Gant went on to win the race. SCR

Matthew Blaylock

 

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