HOMESTEAD, Fla. – Jeff Gordon finished fifth as Hendrick Motorsports wrapped up the NASCAR Sprint Cup season Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet was joined inside the top 11 by teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. Mark Martin finished 24th and Jimmie Johnson took 32nd in the season-finale event.

Sunday’s 400-mile event opened on a positive note for Hendrick Motorsports. All four drivers were running inside the top 13 by Lap 22. Gordon lined up seventh and consistently battled among the top runners on Sunday and after a nearly hour-long red flag for rain finally took the lead at the 1.5-mile oval. Gordon led seven laps but couldn’t hold off a hard-charging, title contending Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards. Still, Gordon remained inside the top five as the race continued. He crossed the finish line fifth and ends the season ranked eighth in the championship standings.

“I just want to take this moment to thank Drive to End Hunger for being on board this year,” Gordon said. “All the fans and all the different corporations that supported this great program, one in 9 million old Americans going hungry every day in this country, but we are making a big impact, over 4 million meals served this year and don’t forget to text hunger to 5055. Hopefully we can get this Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet back in Victory Lane next year.”

Earnhardt opened the race in 11th and maintained his position there during the majority of Sunday’s event. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet ran as high as second on Lap 161 after staying out during the previous caution period for a spin on the racetrack.Earnhardt crossed the finish line 11th and ranks seventh in the standings.

“(Crew chief) Steve Letarte builds good race cars and that team put together great cars, these are great engines by Hendrick and everybody at that shop they work their guts out—they have all year long,” Earnhardt said. “I feel real fortunate and lucky to be able to drive the car because they are really nice. I want to thank all those guys that are watching, for all their work all year long. It has been an up-and-down season, but we hope that we can really improve and have more success going forward.”

Martin started 25th on Sunday and was running seventh by Lap 201. The driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet worked diligently during his last race with Hendrick Motorsports and employed pit strategy after a Lap 134 caution. Martin took right-side tires only and gained 13 spots on pit road to move into the third starting spot. Martin finished 24th and ranks 22nd in the final standings.

Johnson, who started Sunday’s race ninth, raced hard inside the top 10, trying to climb up into the leader spot during the first 100 laps at Homestead. But an engine issue arose, and on Lap 105, Johnson was sitting on pit road with the hood of the No. 48 Chevrolet up and his team working feverishly to replace an ignition box. The change wasn’t the answer, but four laps later, the race was halted due to rain.

“We are trying everything we can here,” Johnson said during the red-flag period. “When the race returns to yellow, we are going to change the plugs, change the carburetor, and then see from there. I think I started getting some warning signs on the way into the pits that it was an internal situation and those internal parts were trying to find a way out, so we are out of the points trying to finish in the top-five it looks like but if we can get on the track and get going, other guys have some trouble maybe we can get something going there. Just disappointed, we had a fast car.

“It was running great,” Johnson added. “It was really tough to pass and guys who just block the top and protect the top and you could not get by, I worked my way up there pretty good and was having some fun, sad way to end the season but it is racing, we will come back next year.”

The red-flag period lasted nearly an hour, and once it was over, the No. 48 team continued its work. Johnson returned to the track five laps down and encountered a spin on Lap 142. He ultimately finished 32nd and ranks sixth in the final championship standings.

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin held on to finish inside the top 16 in Sunday’s KOBALT Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports duo, along with teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, encountered handling issues as they raced the 312-lap event on the newly repaved oval.

Promise was high for the Hendrick Motorsports teammates when the green flag dropped on Sunday. Martin was the top starter and rolled off the grid fourth. But it was Gordon who initially was the biggest mover, improving from his 23rd starting spot to run as high as 11th by Lap 91. But handling issues further surfaced as the race unfolded, and by Lap 200, brake issues arose. Gordon spent the remainder of the event carefully touring Phoenix in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. He finished 32nd and slipped to 11th in the championship standings.

Johnson started 16th and used pit strategy to climb as high as eighth within the first 100 laps. Unfortunately, that early pit stop proved that taking two tires wasn’t as effective as the No. 48 team had hoped on the newly repaved oval, and Johnson quickly told his crew that the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet was “scary loose.” The team worked throughout the remainder of the race to address the issue, and Johnson was able to 14th. Johnson improves to fifth in the driver standings.

Martin rolled off the grid fourth and held steady within the top 20 as his team continually tweaked the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. He crossed the finish line 16th and now ranks 20th in the standings.

Earnhardt lined up 22nd at Phoenix and hovered inside the top 25 on Sunday. The No. 88 team made every adjustment possible, and the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy Chevrolet persistently looked for track position on the one-mile oval. Earnhardt finished 24th and now ranks seventh in the standings.

AVONDALE, Ariz. – Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin held on to finish inside the top 16 in Sunday’s KOBALT Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. The Hendrick Motorsports duo, along with teammates Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon, encountered handling issues as they raced the 312-lap event on the newly repaved oval.

Promise was high for the Hendrick Motorsports teammates when the green flag dropped on Sunday. Martin was the top starter and rolled off the grid fourth. But it was Gordon who initially was the biggest mover, improving from his 23rd starting spot to run as high as 11th by Lap 91. But handling issues further surfaced as the race unfolded, and by Lap 200, brake issues arose. Gordon spent the remainder of the event carefully touring Phoenix in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet. He finished 32nd and slipped to 11th in the championship standings.

Johnson started 16th and used pit strategy to climb as high as eighth within the first 100 laps. Unfortunately, that early pit stop proved that taking two tires wasn’t as effective as the No. 48 team had hoped on the newly repaved oval, and Johnson quickly told his crew that the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet was “scary loose.” The team worked throughout the remainder of the race to address the issue, and Johnson was able to 14th. Johnson improves to fifth in the driver standings.

Martin rolled off the grid fourth and held steady within the top 20 as his team continually tweaked the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. He crossed the finish line 16th and now ranks 20th in the standings.

Earnhardt lined up 22nd at Phoenix and hovered inside the top 25 on Sunday. The No. 88 team made every adjustment possible, and the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/AMP Energy Chevrolet persistently looked for track position on the one-mile oval. Earnhardt finished 24th and now ranks seventh in the standings.

FORT WORTH, Texas – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished inside the top seven on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Their Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin finished 14th and 19th, respectively, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

Gordon spent most of Sunday’s 334-lap race running inside the top 10, despite starting 23rd. He cracked the top 10 by Lap 69 and held steady as his team made varying adjustments to counter the Chevrolet’s tight-handling condition mid-race. With 38 laps to go, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet started a trend by pitting under the green flag. With four tires and fuel, Gordon returned to the track running inside the top 20. Track position wasn’t a problem for Gordon, and he improved to finish sixth, picking up his third top-10 finish in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Gordon ranks eighth in the driver standings.

“I’m real proud of everybody,” Gordon said. “We didn’t qualify well, had to start in the middle of the field and this place can be tough to move up there. We moved up there right away. At times, I thought we had a car that could compete for the win. When that sun went down, it changed everything for us. We couldn’t keep up with track position. But compared to the way we ran here earlier in the year, this is almost like a win for us.”

Earnhardt started 16th and was running 11th by Lap 155. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard “Trained by Tradition”/AMP Energy Chevrolet worked diligently with his team to find the right answer for the car’s handling, as he maintained his presence among the top 15. The No. 88 team plugged away, and Earnhardt crossed the finish line seventh. He climbs to seventh in the driver standings with two races left in the Chase.

Johnson, who started 11th, ran as high as fourth and rallied from a spin on Lap 240 that sent him to pit road for fresh tires. The five-time defending champion hustled to his pit stall, where his team put on four fresh tires and sent the No. 48 Chevrolet back onto the racetrack ahead of leader Tony Stewart. Despite a commitment cone violation, Johnson managed to stay on the leap lap. Within nine laps, he was running 19th. Not too many laps later, he cracked the top 15. Johnson finished 14th and ranked sixth in the driver standings.

Martin encountered some handling issues, but ultimately was in the mix as the race wound down. He improved to ninth as the leaders began their late-race pit stops under the green-flag. The driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet was running third with 31 laps to go, hoping for the caution flag. At that time, his teammates who had pitted were running inside the top 19: Gordon was 14th, Earnhardt was 16th and Johnson was 19th. Martin held off as long as he could, but without a yellow flag, he was forced to make his way down pit road. He finished 19th and ranks 21st in the driver standings.

Up next on the Cup schedule is Phoenix International Raceway. That race will be televised Sunday at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN.

MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon contended fiercely for the lead, but crossed the finish line second and third, respectively behind Tony Stewart during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway. Johnson and Gordon were joined in the top 10 by teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who finished seventh. Mark Martin finished the day in 28th-place.

The trio of top-10s at Martinsville gives Hendrick Motorsports 100 total at the short track. This is more top-10s than any other team has at any other track in the Cup Series.

The day started with the caution flag waving on Lap 7 when Earnhardt collected Gordon in an incident involving Kurt Busch, damaging the front right side of Gordon’s No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. Adjustments were made by crew chief Alan Gustafson on pit road that helped Gordon remain a race contender. After dodging several more instances in the field, Gordon worked his way to lead on Lap 235.

Gordon battled to stay at the front of the pack all day and led 113 laps, pushing his laps led total 3,094 at the historic racetrack. The 15th caution of the day came out with 73 laps to go and Gordon and Johnson lined up second and third, respectively with 68 laps to go on the restart.

After navigating lapped traffic Johnson pushed to the lead with 60 laps to go. The final caution was brought out on Lap 493. The driver of the No. 48 myLowes Chevrolet kept the lead, with Gordon and Earnhardt lined up fourth and seventh behind him, respectively. The field went to green with three laps to go and a hard-fighting No. 48 team battling for the lead. Johnson finished the day second behind Tony Stewart and moved to sixth in the driver standings. Gordon maintained his 10th-place Cup ranking.

“We had a great race car all day long,” Johnson said. “Chad (Knaus, crew chief) made a great call. I thought it was going to bite us, staying out like we did; and with all the cautions that gave us an opportunity to win the race. And Tony (Stewart) hung-on tough on the outside there and I just couldn’t bring myself to leaning on him and moving him out of the way with where he is in the points. I just kind of raced him clean and then he got around on the outside and got in front of us.”

Earnhardt’s day was filled with some contact with his competitors, but he remained unscathed. The driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet came back from his earlier incident to break into the top 10 on Lap 207. Earnhardt worked his way up to his seventh place finish and remains ranked ninth in the driver standings.

Martin rolled off the grid in 19th and struggled for track position at the paper clip oval. Thanks to pit strategy, the driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet rallied from being two laps down to run in the top 10, but was collected in a late race incident and was sent to the garage for repairs by the team. He finished 28th and now ranks 20th in the driver standings.

TALLADEGA, Ala. – Hendrick Motorsports opened Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Talladega Superspeedway on a promising note. All four of its drivers started the 188-lap event inside the top six, and each driver led a lap.

 Mark Martin was the pole sitter for Sunday’s race, and he started alongside teammate Jimmie Johnson, marking the second time this season Hendrick Motorsports started from the front row at Talladega and the fourth straight time the organization has nabbed the top starting spot in a 2011 superspeedway event.

When the green flag dropped, Martin paired up with Jeff Gordon, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. lined up with Johnson. By Lap 123, all four drivers had led at least one lap around the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

The tandem pairings patiently circled Talladega as the race unfolded, waiting for just the right moment to make their forward charge. The timing didn’t work in Hendrick Motorsports’ favor, though. On Lap 163, Johnson’s No. 48 myLowes Chevrolet suffered right-front damage after being involved in an incident in Turn 3. After the incident, Earnhardt and Johnson discussed their late-race strategy and decided to hover near the leaders so they could attempt their charge when the time was right.

However, another caution period roughly 10 laps later stalled the tandem’s attempt after Earnhardt thought he ran over debris from the incident in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet. He told his team he needed to pit during the yellow-flag period, so both he and Johnson made the stop. The teammates returned to the track unable to make any serious advancements during the closing laps. Earnhardt finished 25th and followed in 26th. Johnson improves to seventh in the championship standings, while Earnhardt remains ninth with four races left in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Martin and Gordon made their latest forward charge with less than 10 laps to go. Martin drove his No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet to push Gordon back toward the top 10. The duo, which led a combined three laps during Sunday’s race, was running inside the top 12 when the five-car incident unraveled on Lap 181. Gordon managed to escape in his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet, but Martin was collected and required a trip to pit road for repairs. With his drafting partner off the track, Gordon struggled to find help. Martin managed to cross the finish line 20th, while Gordon finished 27th. Chase-contender Gordon improves one spot to 10th in the driver standings, and Martin now ranks 19th.

CONCORD, N.C. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. was the top finisher among his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard/Chevy 100 Year Anniversary Chevrolet crossed the finish line 19th, and his teammates rounded out the top 37.

Handling was a constant focus for the four Hendrick teammates after the green flag dropped for Saturday’s race. The teams worked diligently to adjust the Chevrolets as the cooling temperatures affected the 1.5-mile speedway.

Once dialed in, Earnhardt was able to navigate the speedway and hold on for the 19th-place finish. He survived multiple late-race incidents to remain ranked ninth in the driver standings. Earnhardt trails leader Carl Edwards by 60 points.

Earnhardt’s teammates weren’t as fortunate during Saturday’s race. Mark Martin discovered an issue early with the front of his No. 5 GoDaddy.com/Chevy 100 Year Anniversary Chevrolet. Around Lap 150, Martin reported to the garage, where his team worked to repair the front wheel assembly on his car. He returned to the track on Lap 216, and he finished the race running 37th.

Jeff Gordon rallied from a midrace incident, which temporarily sidelined his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger/Chevy 100 Year Anniversary Chevrolet on Saturday. On Lap 293, Gordon was racing David Ragan and Kasey Kahne for the fifth, sixth and seventh positions when the incident unraveled. Gordon’s crew worked quickly to make the necessary repairs, and he was able to salvage a 21st-place finish. Gordon now ranks 11th in the driver standings.

Jimmie Johnson was running seventh with fewer than 20 laps to go when the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Chevy 100 Year Anniversary Chevrolet was involved in an incident. He had been racing with Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick for position. Johnson was scored 34th and now ranks eighth in the driver standings.

“That one stung for sure,” Johnson said. “I’m just thankful to have such safe race cars, safe walls. Everything did its job. That was a pretty big impact. It’s just unfortunate that we wrecked. We got into Turn 1, and the (No.) 39 was real tight on my outside, and it pulled me around the corner. From there on, I was just kind of hanging on.”

“We just gotta go racing,” added Johnson, who is chasing his sixth straight championship. “That’s all there is to it. There’s still five races left and a lot can happen in those last five races. This is not going to help us win a sixth championship, but my team and myself, we just won’t quit. We’ll keep after it, and hopefully we’re still champions at the end of the year.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. – Jimmie Johnson won Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Kansas Speedway to improve to third in the driver standings and put Hendrick Motorsports within one victory of a major milestone.

The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet led a race-high 197 laps on his way to his 55th career Cup victory. With the win, Johnson ranks tied for eighth on the all-time list with Rusty Wallace. For Hendrick Motorsports, Johnson’s victory marked the 199th in the Sprint Cup Series. The organization ranks first in wins in the modern era and second all-time behind Petty Enterprises, which owns 268 victories.

Johnson lined up 19th for Sunday’s 267-lap event and took the lead shortly after the first caution-flag period on Lap 21. During the stop, Johnson took right-side tires and improved his position to pace the field. After a 20-lap segment, Johnson slipped to third, but maintained his presence in the top five. As the race unfolded, he stayed with the leaders, but had to survive several late-race restarts, including a final battle with Kasey Kahne. Johnson got a good restart and held off Kahne for the final lap to win.

“We’ve got a very strong group of guys, and we’ve been knocking on the door all year long,” said Johnson, who now has two wins this season and his first as he chases his sixth straight Cup championship. “We’ve gotten beaten some, and we’ve beaten ourselves. I’ve got to thank Lowe’s for their support and congratulate Mr. Hendrick on his 199th Cup win, as well as Chevy on winning the Manufacturer Cup. We did our part today, and we’ll just see if we can do it six more times.”

Johnson’s win is one of five that Hendrick Motorsports has contributed to the 14 that Chevrolet has recorded this season. This is the 35th season in which Chevy has won the Manufacturer’s Cup.

Mark Martin joined Johnson inside the top 10 after a day in which he worked with his team to finetune the handling of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Martin lined up ninth, but struggled to find the right balance early for his No. 5 Chevy. He improved his running position early in the race thanks to pit strategy. He took two tires only during the second caution period on Lap 85, and he improved 13 spots after the pit stop to line up inside the top 10 with his teammates Johnson and Gordon. But handling remained an issue, and Martin worked with his team for the fix. He crossed the finish line 10th and ranks 17th in the standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet from his 18th starting position to run inside the top 10 within the first 100 laps of the race. Earnhardt, who ran inside the top 15, was 12th on Lap 263. When the field lined up for the green-white-checkered flag restart, Earnhardt held on for the 14th-place finish. He improves one spot in the driver standings to ninth with six races remaining in the postseason.

“We had a pretty tight car when the race started,” Earnhardt said. “And then there was a run in the middle of the race where I couldn’t have asked for the car to be any better. It was really fast. And near the end there we just had a lot of cautions and a lot of traffic and my car was real tight. In that dirty air, we just couldn’t get anything done. But I was better than we were last time here. We’ve just got to gain a little bit more on it. We’re getting there.”

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, lined up 10th and ran as high as second during Sunday’s race. Gordon led once for two laps and appeared poised for a solid top-five finish and a boost in the championship standings when engine issues arose. Gordon’s engine expired with just three laps remaining, setting up a green-white-checkered finish for the field. He was scored with a 34th-place finish and now ranks 10th in the standings.

“It was a sequence of crazy events for us,” Gordon said. “The day was going really well. I’m really proud of this team, and I’ve got to thank DuPont, Drive to End Hunger and all of our other partners on board. It was a heck of a performance for Quaker State motor oil today because I didn’t think it would last as long as it did. I knew it was just a matter of time, but to last that long is pretty amazing. On the restart, Tony Stewart took me three-wide down the apron and we were on old tires, and that ruined out day right there. But he had to do what he had to do. It messed us up, but right after that we started to get smoke. We thought it was tire smoke, but it wasn’t. It was under the hood, and that obviously ended our day.”

DOVER, Del. – Spinning his tires on the final restart might have cost Jimmie Johnson his seventh victory at Dover International Speedway, but it didn’t hurt his run for a sixth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship.

The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet had led a race-high 157 laps coming into the final restart at Dover’s one-mile concrete oval. He lined up on the front row with Kurt Busch and spun the tires slightly, giving Busch the edge. Johnson crossed the finish line second, improving five spots in the championship standings to fifth.

“I just got a poor restart when I was the leader, and for the last restart, I didn’t get a good one again,” Johnson said. “I couldn’t race (Busch) through Turns 1 and 2. The cars were very equal. We saw that.

“This finish gets us right back in the thick of things,” Johnson added. “I think a lot of people overreacted last week about an 18th place finish (at New Hampshire). But this is a great race team. We proved that today.” Johnson’s teammates rounded out the top 24 and worked to overcome issues of their own during the 400-lap event.

Jeff Gordon improved from his 34th starting spot to run 19th within the first 33 laps. His team continually addressed handling issues that Gordon experienced with his No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet. While navigating the rubber buildup on the track was tricky, restarts also proved difficult. Gordon held on to finish 12th and now ranks ninth in the driver standings.

Restarts have “been a struggle for us here at this track this year,” Gordon said. “It’s like there’s no air in the front tires for the first eight laps so we don’t have any speed to take off. Once we get going, we have a great race car. We started off good and worked our way forward pretty quick from that 34th position, but once we got up there, I made some mistakes today and we just didn’t have it on the restarts. But other than that, we had great fight in this race team. I’m proud of that. But we’ve got to do better.

“I can’t wait to get (to Kansas). If we can run the way we ran there earlier in the year, we’ll make up a lot of positions we lost today.”

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, crossed the finish line 19th. Martin ran as high as ninth after starting the race in 17th, but maneuvering around the rubber buildup was tough, especially in traffic, and Martin battled for position. He remains 16th in the standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 24th in his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet after a day filled with rare mechanical issues. With help from his No. 88 team, Earnhardt rallied early from a roll bar issue and then a broken right sway bar arm. As the race progressed, Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet developed a vibration that his team would address throughout the remainder of the race. Earnhardt now ranks 10th in the driver standings.

LOUDON, N.H. – Jeff Gordon led a race-high 78 laps during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and held on for the fourth-place finish. Fuel and tire issues came into play as his teammates followed inside the top 24 - Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 17th, while Jimmie Johnson took 18th and Mark Martin was scored 24th.

 The Hendrick Motorsports teammates spent most of Sunday’s race running inside the top 15. Gordon, Martin and Johnson led at least one lap during the race.

Gordon, who started seventh in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, claimed the top spot by Lap 63 and ultimately led three times for a race-high 78 laps. Gordon was leading the field when his teammate Earnhardt encountered a flat tire on Lap 228. Gordon coasted onto pit road, and experienced an issue when his No. 24 Chevy wouldn’t restart after running out of fuel. With fresh tires and fuel, he returned to the track and began his forward march. The lengthy stop didn’t appear to hurt Gordon, and he ran as high as third before crew chief Alan Gustafson alerted his driver that he should save fuel. Gustafson informed Gordon that the team wasn’t able to put as much fuel in as hoped during the stop. Gordon held on and crossed the finish line fourth. Gordon now ranks fifth in championship standings.

“We got back out there and once I got behind guys like Tony (Stewart, race winner), I was really just too tight to pass them anyway,” Gordon said. “But I wasn’t expecting to have to conserve as much fuel as we did. We didn’t need to take any chances like we did last week at Chicago. All we can do is look at the good side and that is we made gains in the points.”

Earnhardt’s flat tire affected an otherwise strong day for the driver of the No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew/National Guard Chevrolet. Earnhardt, who started 12th, already had rallied from being a lap down during the early part of the race. Earnhardt was caught on pit road when the caution flag was waved on Lap 156. Earnhardt improved to run 13th by Lap 184 and was doing his best to pass on the New Hampshire short track. But with 72 laps left in Sunday’s event, the front-right tire on the No. 88 Chevy went flat. Earnhardt made his way down pit road for fresh tires and fuel. He returned to the track and improved from his spot deep in the field to cross the finish line 17th, albeit with another flat right-front tire.

“We had a great car,” said Earnhardt, who ranks eighth in the driver standings. “We just had a flat tire with about 100 laps to go and then we had another flat tire right there at the end – just too much camber. We had a little too much camber, getting a little too much travel, and the track did tighten up there at the end. It’s a shame. I’m frustrated because I want to win a race. I’d like to win the Chase (for the NASCAR Sprint Cup), but I want to win a race, and we had a good enough car to do that today.”

Track position also affected Johnson during Sunday’s race. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet started 10th, but hovered around 15th for the majority of the day, encountering contact with several competitors during the day. Johnson picked up a bonus point by leading one lap – Lap 238 – when the field was pitting under green-flag conditions. The five-time defending Cup champion now ranks 10th in the standings.

“Today we just didn’t have the speed, and track position was so important,” Johnson said. “We’ll take this one on the chin and go on to the next one. You gotta take every race as they come. Anything can happen, but days like today aren’t what you hope for, that’s for sure.”

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, paced some of the fastest laps on Sunday and improved from his 21st starting spot to take the lead after some realy pit strategy. The caution flag waved on Lap 87, and the No. 5 team opted not to pit to improve its track position. Martin maintained the lead for 46 laps before slipping through the field. He crossed the finish line 24th and ranks 16th in the driver standings.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next will compete at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Sunday.

JOLIET, Ill. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed fuel use in his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet and claimed a third-place finish in the opening race of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup on Monday at Chicagoland Speedway. Earnhardt was followed across the finish line by Mark Martin in ninth, Jimmie Johnson in 10th and Jeff Gordon in 24th.

Earnhardt, who started the day 19th in the lineup, pitted for fuel only when the last caution of the day was brought out on Lap 213. With just 50 laps to go on the restart, the driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet began his charge to the front of the field. Earnhardt climbed into the top-10 with 37 laps to go in the 400-mile event and still was able to conserve enough fuel to take third-place as most of the front-runners ran out of fuel on the final lap. Earnhardt’s strong finish moved him to fifth in the driver standings.

“We worked real hard all weekend trying to be smart,” Earnhardt said. “The car was a bit of a struggle in the middle part of the race, but in that last run we were one of the best cars on the track. My guys had great pit stops and worked really hard trying to get better so I really have to thank those guys for what they got us today. We had a good car, and we were just real smart all weekend and did a good job. I am real happy with the team.”

Martin took ninth-place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup event after starting the day 25th on the grid. The driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet called for more grip, a tighter car and an air pressure adjustment early on to help him gain track position. After the pit crew made adjustments during the first few pit stops, Martin was posting the fastest speeds on the track. Martin broke into the top 10 on Lap 185 and held on to cross the finish line just ahead of Johnson as the driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet began slowing down on the final lap.

Johnson started 12th and was running fifth by Lap 80. Johnson closed in on then-leader Ryan Newman to take first-place on Lap 163 and create a 3.6 second lead on second-place. Johnson led 39 laps before the final caution. Johnson was fourth on the final restart, but was unable to conserve enough fuel and slowed down for a 10th-place finish on the final lap. Johnson currently ranks eighth in the driver standings.

Gordon battled handling issues throughout the day but managed to come back from being two laps down early in the Cup event. The driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet was urged by crew chief Alan Gustafson to conserve fuel after Gordon restarted 12th with 50 laps to go, but on the last half of the final lap ran out of gas to cross the finish line 24th. Gordon moved to 11th in the driver standings.

Hendrick Motorsports team heads to New Hampshire International Speedway next Sunday for the second Chase event.

Hendrick Teammates in top 19 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

INDIANAPOLIS – Jeff Gordon earned his second runner-up finish of the 2011 season during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. All four Hendrick Motorsports drivers ran up front during the 160-lap event, but in the end it came down to Gordon and Mark Martin, who were running in the top three.

Gordon, who now owns 10 top-five finishes at the 2.5-mile track, spent the majority of the day running in the front of the pack. Just six laps into the 400-mile event, the driver of the No. 24 Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet started his charge for the lead. Gordon jumped between the first and second position throughout the majority of the race and led a total of 36 laps.

On Lap 135, Gordon pitted for two tires and fuel as the race came down to fuel-mileage strategy. With five laps to go Gordon again made his charge to the front, passing teammate Mark Martin and finishing second behind Paul Menard. Gordon, who holds the records for most wins (four), most top-five finishes and most top-10s (14) at Indianapolis, remains seventh in the championship standings. 

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Quaker State/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, started 12^th and finished eighth during Sunday’s Cup event. Martin, who currently owns 11 top-10 finishes at the super speedway, was running fifth with 25 laps to go; 10 laps later the veteran driver made it to third-place and battled for the lead. Martin, the only Hendrick Motorsports driver who elected to not pit under green flag, was passed by Gordon and ran out of fuel coming into turn three on the final lap.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson came down pit road with less than 30 laps to go. Both drivers received fuel; Johnson took four tires and Earnhardt took only two. The Hendrick Motorsports drivers were held off by the front of the field that did not pit and were unable to advance to the front of the pack where they had spent the majority of the day. 

Earnhardt, who led seven laps, finished 16^th in his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. Earnhardt struggled to regain track position after pitting on Lap 130 and moves to 10^th in the championship standings. 

Johnson started the day third and led one lap at the legendary track, but finished the day 19^th after he was held off by traffic leaving his last pit stop. The driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet remains second in the championship standings after his 10^th start at Indianapolis.

Gordon Ends 66 Winless Streak with Victory In Phoenix. Fellow HMS Driver and Defending Champ Jimmie Johnson Finishes Third.

AVONDALE, Ariz. (February 27, 2011) – Veteran driver Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag in Sunday’s running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway ending a 66-race winless streak. The win, his 83rd career victory, put the four-time Cup Champion in the fifth spot on the all time win list where he is tied with racing legend Cale Yarborough.

“I can't tell you how amazing this feels,” Gordon commented from victory lane. “So thankful to Rick Hendrick, all that he does. It's been a long time I know. I'm going to savor this one so much, but I've got to say thanks to the fans. I mean not only the fans at home .. I've been tweeting lately for the first time and all of the stuff that people have been saying, the motivation has been unbelievably inspiring and then to see that crowd stick around to see my really lame burnout because I stink at them but they love that show. Man we hope we can give them some more shows like that this year. That was awesome, thank you so much."

Following Gordon was Quaker State teammate Jimmie Johnson who finished third after starting 28th. Fellow HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought back after going a lap down to finish 10th while veteran driver Mark Martin finished just outside the top-10 in 13th.

Prior to Sunday’s event in Phoenix, Hendrick Motorsports had won six of the last eight events at the one-mile flat track. Gordon's win was his second at the raceway.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Las Vegas Motor Speedway next for the running of the Kobalt Tools 400. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin on Sunday, March 6 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX and 2:00 p.m. on PRN and XM Sirius Satellite Radio.

Mark Martin Earns Top-10 Run in Daytona 500 for Hendrick Motorsports, Remaining Hendrick Cars all Find Trouble on Track

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA (February 20, 2011) – As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series kicked off the 2011 season, the Quaker State teams from the Hendrick Motorsports stable faced both highs and lows throughout the Speedweeks events.

Dale Earnahardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon made it an all Hendrick front row for the second straight year with Earnhardt earning the pole for the “All American Race” and Gordon claiming the runner-up spot. However a practice crash would relegate NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver to the rear of the field for the start of the 53rd running of the Daytona 500.

As the green-flag fell for 500 laps of racing action, the Hendrick cars settled in and picked their partners to try to make a charge toward the front.

An early-race incident claiming a multitude of cars took out defending champ Jimmie Johnson along with teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin. Johnson and Gordon went to the garage for repairs, while Martin was able to stay on track and get his repairs on pit road. Both Johnson and Gordon were able to return to the track several laps down and continue the race.

Earnhardt made a charge toward the front of the field on several occasions and led three times for nine laps before finding his own trouble late on a green-white-checker restart ending his day prematurely. Martin was the only Hendrick car to remain on track bringing his No. 5 Chevrolet to the checkered flag in the 10th position.

Earnhardt was credited with the 24th finishing position with Johnson and Gordon taking the 27th and 28th spots.

“I was in the back there and we got a flat tire and got ourselves in the back there and I was coming around one and two and all those guys were running into the back of each other on the inside and it was crazy and the 7 got turned down in the apron and they had a wreck,” commented Earnhardt following the race. “Some guys got into the wall on the outside and I was just trying to avoid that and got to the center there and got hooked in the right rear but I don’t know, we have had some pretty tough luck down here and didn’t get the finish we wanted for AMP and National Guard and our fans.”

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Auto Club Speedway in Avondale, Arizona. Live coverage will begin on February 27, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX and 2:00 p.m. on MRN Radio.

Jimmie Johnson Scores His Record-Setting Fifth Consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship

HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson and his No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports team have made history by capturing the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship title for a record fifth year in a row. With the season down to its final race, Johnson crossed the finish line second to end the 2010 Sprint Cup season with the help of Quaker State racing oil, developed with durability in mind to keep the No. 48 Chevrolet’s engine running through to the checkered flag.

Winning a fifth straight title wasn’t easy for Johnson, who entered Sunday’s race chasing then-points leader Denny Hamlin. Although Johnson lined up sixth on Sunday, 31 spots better than Hamlin, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup remained tight. Hamlin struggled to advance through the field, while Johnson assumed the points lead and held steady within the top 10, leading Lap 71 to pick up five bonus points.

The trio of Chase contenders -- Johnson, Hamlin and Kevin Harvick -- experienced continual shakeups during the final 100 laps of competition, mostly based upon their performance on pit road. A lengthy pit stop cost Johnson position on a Lap 167 caution, while Harvick was penalized 20 laps later for being too fast entering pit road. The biggest change happened with 25 laps to go when Hamlin was caught one lap down by the caution flag. Hamlin took the wave-around, but Johnson capitalized. Johnson continued to stretch out his lead, taking over the second position, as the laps ticked down. He crossed the finish line second to match his best result at the 1.5-mile oval and to pick up his fifth straight championship.

"I'm so proud to be in this position and so thankful to have my great race team and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports giving me great race cars,” commented Jimmie Johnson just moments after the race. “I think this year we showed what this team is made. At times we didn't have the most speed, but we proved it here at the end of the Chase and especially here today. I am just beside myself. Four was amazing. Now I have to figure out what the hell to say about winning five of these things because everybody is going to want to know what it means. I don't know! It is pretty damn awesome I can tell you that."

Johnson is the first driver in NASCAR history to capture five straight Sprint Cup titles and the first champion in the Chase format to overcome a points deficit going into the final event. Hendrick Motorsports now is NASCAR's all-time leader in NASCAR Sprint Cup owner championships with 10 after Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe's Chevrolet team earned their fifth consecutive series title Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hendrick Motorsports previously was tied with Petty Enterprises, which earned nine Cup owner championships.

Hendrick Motorsports also becomes one of just four teams in major American professional sports to have scored five or more titles consecutively. The Boston Celtics posted eight NBA titles in a row starting with the 1958-59 season and ending in 1965-66. Hendrick now is tied with the New York Yankees, which earned five World Series rings from 1949-53, and the Montreal Canadiens, which scored five Stanley Cups from 1956-60.

Johnson Closes Gap to 15 Points with One Race Remaining in The Chase

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 14, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson stretched out a tank of fuel on Sunday to finish fifth at Phoenix International Raceway and keep his hopes alive for earning his fifth straight NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. He was joined in the top 15 by teammates Mark Martin in eighth, Jeff Gordon in 11th and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 14th.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet, lined up 21st in Sunday’s event and patiently worked his way through the field. A four-time winner at the desert oval, Johnson cracked the top 10 by Lap 75 and continued to chase then-race leader Denny Hamlin. Hamlin continued to dominate as the race unfolded, but the No. 48 team caught a break during the final 89 laps, which ran under green-flag conditions. Chad Knaus, crew chief of the No. 48 Chevy, coached Johnson to save fuel with about 25 laps to go, while Hamlin’s team opted to make a stop with 10 laps to go. The final pit stop cost Hamlin position, and Johnson was able to gain 18 points on him in the championship hunt. Johnson still ranks second behind Hamlin in the standings, but only by 15 points as the Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway for the season finale.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, crossed the finish line eighth on Sunday after lining up 28th for the 312-mile event. Martin ranks 13th in the standings, which is the highest he can finish in the postseason system.

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, scored the 11th-place finish on Sunday after rolling off the grid 22nd. Gordon remains sixth in the championship standings.

Earnhardt crossed the finish line 14th in his No. 88 Diet Mountain Dew Paint the 88/National Guard Chevrolet, after starting the race 31st. Earnhardt drove a specially painted No. 88 Chevrolet, which he selected from almost 10,000 entries in the Paint the 88 contest. The green-and-white scheme was designed by Jason Corino, of Colorado Springs, Colo.

The Ford 400 begins at 1 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show airs at noon on ESPN2.

Stewart-Haas Racing Teammate Tony Stewart Comes Home 17th

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 14, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Veterans Day Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Phoenix International Raceway by finishing second in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500k NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Newman came into Phoenix as the track’s most recent Sprint Cup victor, as he scored the win in the series’ spring visit to the 1-mile oval in April. He now has five top-10 finishes in 17 career Sprint Cup starts at Phoenix, with Sunday’s effort giving Newman his 13th top-10 finish of the season.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 17th.

Carl Edwards won the Kobalt Tools 500k to earn his 17th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season, and his first at Phoenix.

Newman finished 4.770 seconds behind Edwards, while Joey Logano, Greg Biffle and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five. Kevin Harvick, Matt Kenseth, Mark Martin, Kurt Busch and Jamie McMurray comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 25 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 312-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came into Phoenix eighth among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 363 points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin. He leaves Phoenix ninth in points, 388 markers arrears Hamlin.

Newman remained 15th in the standings with 4,156 points, the third-highest non-Chase driver.

The Ford 400 begins at 1 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show airs at noon on ESPN2.

Johnson Falls to Second in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with Two Races Remaining

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 7, 2010) – Mark Martin scored the third-place finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Texas Motor Speedway, while his championship-contending teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon encountered some misfortunate in the 334-lap event. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 25th in his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, led four times for 36 laps on Sunday. A previous winner at Texas, Martin was able to contend for the win in the closing laps after staying out when the caution flag was waved on Lap 328. On the restart, the front row of Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth was too strong, and Martin chased them to earn the third-place result.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, salvaged his run to turn in a ninth-place finish. After starting 17th, Johnson worked his way through the field. But several early issues on pit road hampered his progress, and crew chief Chad Knaus made a change in the No. 48 team’s over-the-wall crew around the Lap 200 mark. Just nine laps prior, Gordon had been sidelined after an incident with Jeff Burton in Turn 2. Gordon had started 15th in his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, but his hopes of making up any ground in the championship standings were dashed after he tangled with Burton’s No. 33 Chevrolet. Gordon retired to the garage with the 37th-place finish and a sixth-place ranking in the standings, while his crew went to assist the No. 48 team.

Johnson, who led one lap on Sunday, now ranks second in the championship standings, 33 points behind leader and Texas race winner Denny Hamlin. With two races remaining in the Chase, the Cup Series heads next to Phoenix International Raceway, where Johnson owns a Series-best 4.9 average finish. Johnson, the four-time defending Cup champion, owns four wins at the flat desert oval.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Nov. 14 Kobalt Tools 500k at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. The penultimate race of the 10-race Chase begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m. EST.

Stewart-Haas Racing Teammate Ryan Newman Comes Home 20th

FORT WORTH, Texas (Nov. 7, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth by finishing 11th in Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was Stewart’s 12th top-12 finish in 20 career Sprint Cup starts at Texas.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 20th.

Denny Hamlin won the AAA Texas 500 to earn his 16th career Sprint Cup victory, his series-high eighth win of the season, and his second victory and eighth top-10 finish in 11 Sprint Cup races at Texas. Hamlin also won the April Sprint Cup race at Texas and became only the second driver to sweep both Texas races in the same year. Carl Edwards won both Texas races in 2008.

Matt Kenseth crossed the finish line .488 of a second behind Hamlin in the runner-up spot, while Mark Martin, Joey Logano and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, David Ragan, Jimmie Johnson and Paul Menard comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 40 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 334-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came to Texas seventh among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 317 points behind Chase leader Johnson. His 11th-place finish dropped him one position to eighth in the standings, where he is now 363 markers arrears new Chase-leader Hamlin.

Newman maintained his 15th spot in the standings, the third-highest non-Chase driver, 121 points behind 13th-place Martin.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Nov. 14 Kobalt Tools 500k at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. The penultimate race of the 10-race Chase begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m. EST.

Stewart’s Top-Five Run Folded by Last-Lap Accident While Newman Battles Back from One-Lap Down to Finish 23rd at Talladega Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Ala. (October 31, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway by finishing 22nd in Sunday’s AMP Energy Juice 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 31st after getting caught up in a last-lap accident.

Clint Bowyer won the AMP Energy Juice 500 to earn his fourth career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his first victory and fourth top-10 in 10 races at Talladega. It was also Richard Childress Racing’s (RCR) 11th victory at Talladega, most among car owners.

Kevin Harvick crossed the finish line in second behind RCR teammate Bowyer in a race that ended under caution after a multi-car accident on the final lap. Juan Pablo Montoya, David Reutimann and Joey Logano rounded out the top-five. Martin Truex Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 19 laps, with six drivers failing to finish the 188-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came to Talladega seventh among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 236 points behind Chase leader Johnson. His 31st-place finish maintained his seventh spot in points, where he’s now 317 markers arrears Johnson.

Newman maintained his 15th place in the standings, the third-highest non-Chase driver, 93 points behind 13th-place Jamie McMurray.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the eighth race of the 10-race Chase – is the Nov. 7 AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth. The race begins at 3 p.m. EST with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.

Hendrick Trio Finishes in the Top-11 at Talladega Superspeedway

TALLADEGA, Ala. (Oct. 31, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin finished inside the top 11 in Sunday’s AMP Energy Juice 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, while their teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr. led a race-high 24 laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event.

The Hendrick Motorsports drivers went into the 500-mile affair with varying strategies, and each led at least one lap as the race unfolded. Earnhardt, who started sixth in his No. 88 Legends of Hallowdega AMP Energy Juice/National Guard Chevrolet, immediately pursued the top spot, while his teammates decided to hang back. Gordon, Johnson and Martin decided to save their cars and patiently make their way around the racetrack as the event continued.

Earnhardt was rewarded for his aggressive move, and he captured the lead on Lap 3. On Lap 134, Earnhardt was involved in a three-car incident in Turn 4. The driver of the No. 88 Chevy was running along in the middle of the pack when he made contact with the No. 33 of Jeff Burton while bumpdrafting. The contact did not end Earnhardt’s day, but the five-time Talladega winner no longer was a factor as the race wound down. He finished 39th after leading six times for a race-high 24 laps.

"I got in the back of (Jeff) Burton and got him out of control," Earnhardt said. "We've just been pushing each other all day long, and I got into him the wrong way. I saw him in the Infield Care Center, and he's all right. But I had a real good car and awesome engine and just kinda having fun out there running around seeing what you can do, and got a little too excited and ended early."

With 13 laps to go, Gordon and Johnson teamed up and the duo charged through the field. They moved from the middle of the pack into the first and second spots within one lap of the 2.66-mile superspeedway. Gordon led a lap, but sustained an engine issue that affected his No. 24 National Guard/DuPont Chevrolet and he was forced to drop out of the draft. Johnson led two laps and held steady in the top five until the caution flag was issued on Lap 181. During the restart, Johnson lost drafting help and was shuffled through the field. Johnson crossed the finish line seventh, just ahead of Gordon, who was scored eighth.

"We felt like we had a shot to win the race today," said Johnson, who maintains his lead in the championship standings. "We did a good job today. We played our strategy out right. We got into the lead with four or five (laps) to go; maybe a touch to early, but I had a good shot at it. The No. 24 (Jeff Gordon) thought he had an engine failing and got out of the way because at that point I didn't have any teammates in front, and it just really didn't work out for me. But it was still a great finish, and we'll take it."

"There is just a lot of crazy stuff that goes on here," said Gordon, who trails teammate Johnson in the standings by 207 points in fourth place. "I'm just happy to have a car that finished in one piece to be honest with you. We haven't had that for a long time.

"Me and Jimmie got hooked up together and drove all the way to the front. I started experiencing some weird things inside the car. It was kind of vibrating. There was a lot of smoke and it smelled like oil. I thought the engine was getting ready to blow up so he shuffled me out. From that point on, we just kind of fought back. From that restart, I just couldn't get anybody to go with us. But we still held our own."

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, made several charges to the front of the field and led twice for two laps. As the laps ticked down, Martin climbed from his top-15 running position and avoided a late-race multi-car crash on the frontstretch to finish 11th.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next travels to Texas Motor Speedway. Each of the Hendrick drivers has won at the 1.5-mile speedway.

Newman Leads 32 Laps During Solid First Half Before Breaking Rear Gear

MARTINSVILLE, Va., (October 24, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway by finishing 24th in Sunday’s TUMS Fast Relief 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. Stewart ran in the top-15 for much of the 500-lap race, but a flat right-front tire with less than 10 laps remaining forced him to pit and go two laps down.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 30th. Newman led twice for 32 of the opening 127 laps around the .526-mile paperclip-shaped oval before a broken rear gear sent him to the garage for several laps, taking him out of contention for the remainder of the race.

Denny Hamlin won the TUMS Fast Relief 500 to earn his 15th career Sprint Cup victory, his series-high seventh win of the season, and his fourth victory and 10th top-10 finish in 11 races at Martinsville. Hamlin has now won three consecutive Sprint Cup races at Martinsville and four of the last six.

Mark Martin finished 2.318 seconds behind Hamlin in the runner-up spot, while Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top-five. Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton and Brad Keselowski comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were 15 caution periods for 90 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came to Martinsville sixth among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 177 points behind Chase leader Johnson. His 24th-place finish dropped him to seventh in points, 236 markers arrears Johnson.

Newman fell one spot to 15th, 127 points behind 13th-place Jamie McMurray, the highest non-Chase driver in points.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the seventh race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 31 Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show beginning at noon will air on ESPN2.

Johnson Maintains Point Lead in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with Four Races Remaining

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (Oct. 24, 2010) – Mark Martin overcame an early incident in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Martinsville Speedway to finish in the runner-up position. His teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top 10 for Hendrick Motorsports with fifth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively, while Jeff Gordon crossed the finish line 19th.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 eBay Motors/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, started 21st and was working his way up through the field when he was caught up in a multi-car accident on Lap 226 that affected the rear end of the Chevrolet. The No. 5 team addressed the damage, and Martin worked to make up for the lost time throughout the race. He was in the right position when a series of final caution flags were waved on Laps 385 and 398. Martin battled his way through traffic in the final laps to finish second.

“That was so much fun,” Martin said. “And it was such a bad day. I was running out of brakes at Lap 30, and I thought this was going to be the longest day of my life. And these guys on this race team made the difference; I want to thank eBay Motors for coming on board. I look forward to a lot of folks going there and maybe checking out a lot of their cars and parts there and of course GoDaddy.com and everybody that supports us; CARQUEST and all those guys. It was a great run for us. We needed that.”

Johnson started his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet from the 19th position and broke into the top 10 within the first 50 laps of the 500-mile event. Johnson remained in the top 10 for a majority of the remaining laps before developing handling issues on his Chevrolet during a long green-flag run at the end of the event. Johnson held on to a fifth-place finish and maintained his lead in the championship standings over race winner Denny Hamlin by six points.

“It was a good day,” Johnson said. “We were much stronger on the short run than we were on the long run. And they way this thing unfolded in the end there was a lot of long runs. We kind of lost a few spots. For a while there I thought the No. 29 (Kevin Harvick) and the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) and us were all going to ride together all day long and then the No. 11 there at the end got going and took off an won the thing. It was a solid performance; something we can't be disappointed in. I wish we were a little better but there is a lot of racing left."

Earnhardt wheeled his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet from a 28th starting spot to cross the finish line seventh, his first top-10 since his fourth-place finish in the first race of the Chase at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Earnhardt cracked the top 10 on Lap 250 and led three times for 90 laps before also encountering handling issues on his Chevrolet during the final green-flag run.

“We got toward the front on some pit strategy that worked out really good, and then we had a good enough car at the time to pass the guys that were around us,” Earnhardt said. “They had a little less tire than we had. A lot of things worked in our favor to get us the lead

“I love short track racing and I love coming here. This place has a lot of history. I have a lot of respect for it. I used to not understand how to get around here and then I have been pretty good here for a long time. I feel pretty good that when I come here I can run good. I like racing here and I like this style of racing.”

Gordon started the race in the 11th position, the best of his Hendrick Motorsports teammates, and led 56 laps until he was involved in a two-car incident on Lap 385. While battling Kurt Busch for position, the two competitors became entangled coming off Turn 2 which brought out the caution flag for the 14th time of the day. Gordon and the No. 24 team salvaged their race car to bring the Chevrolet home 20th. He is currently ranked fifth in the championship standings, 203 points behind leader and teammate Johnson.

“Our championship hopes have taken a big hit the last couple of weeks,” Gordon said. “So, for us, it's not about that right now; it’s about going out and getting the best finishes that we can and trying to win races. I felt like, at times, we had a car capable of winning today, and that pit stop hurt us, and we were back there battling our way back up there slowly but surely. And that incident, I gave him (Kurt Busch) a reason to get upset. So I wish I hadn't of done that. But, we were racing hard. And then what it does for us for the championship is really insignificant in my opinion. At this point we're just racing to try to get the best finishes, and we'll continue to do that as we move forward."

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the seventh race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 31 Amp Energy Juice 500 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show beginning at noon will air on ESPN2.

Driver of the No. 48 Extends his Lead for a Fifth Championship to 41 Points in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup

CONCORD, N.C. (Oct. 16, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson overcame an early spin during Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Charlotte Motor Speedway and finished third to hold onto his lead in the championship standings.

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com, followed Johnson across the finish line in 11th, while Jeff Gordon took 23rd and Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored 29th.

Johnson opened Saturday’s event from the 10th position and held steady until he spun on Lap 34. Undeterred, the No. 48 team repaired the damage and sent Johnson back to the track. He climbed his way through the field and led 15 laps in the Lowe’s Chevrolet toward the end of the event. Johnson leads the standings by 41 points.

Martin lined up fourth on Saturday and ultimately led nine laps, first taking the lead on Lap 77. While restarts were an issue for the No. 5 team, Martin continued to hold his position inside the top 15. He crossed the finish line 11th.

Gordon scored the pole position – his first of the season – and held that top spot during the opening seven laps of Saturday’s race. He raced inside the top 10 until an ignition issue affected the No. 24 Chevrolet midway through the race. Gordon struggled to regain the lost spots on the 1.5-mile oval. Gordon remains fourth in the driver standings with the 23rd-place finish.

Earnhardt started eighth in his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet but encountered handling issues as the race progressed. The No. 88 team continually worked on Earnhardt’s Chevy, and he finished the event 29th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the sixth race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 24 Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A one-hour pre-race show will air at noon on ESPN2.

Newman Endures Disastrous Outing at Charlotte to Finish 36th

CONCORD, N.C., (October 16, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot “Showtime” Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway by finishing 21st in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 36th after an accident on just the second lap of the 334-lap contest sent him to the garage area for lengthy repairs. He wound up returning to the race, albeit many laps down.

Jamie McMurray won the Bank of America 500 to score his sixth career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his second at Charlotte. McMurray earned his first career Sprint Cup win at Charlotte on Oct. 13, 2002 as the interim driver for an injured Sterling Marlin.

Kyle Busch finished 1.866 seconds behind McMurray in the runner-up spot, while Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five. Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, Kevin Harvick, David Reutimann and David Ragan comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 39 laps, with six drivers failing to finish.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came into Charlotte fifth among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 107 points behind Chase leader Johnson. His 21st-place finish dropped him to sixth in points, 177 markers arrears Johnson.

Newman also dropped in the standings. He had been the highest non-Chase driver in the standings at 13th, 60 points ahead of 14th-place McMurray, coming into Charlotte. He’s now 14th in points, 75 markers arrears 13th-place McMurray.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the sixth race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 24 Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A one-hour pre-race show will air at noon on ESPN2.

All Four Hendrick Motorsports Teammates Pace the Field for a Combined 77 Laps Before Securing Top-16 Finishes

FONTANA, Calif. (Oct. 10, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson maintained his position atop the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings after finishing third in Sunday’s Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway.

Mark Martin followed Johnson across the finish line, picking up the sixth spot, while Jeff Gordon finished ninth and improved one position in the driver standings to fourth. Dale Earnhardt Jr. took 16th.

The Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolets were strong during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, and all four drivers led a combined 77 laps. Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Jimmie Johnson Foundation Chevrolet, was the first of the quartet to lead the field. He held the top spot for 22 laps on his way to collecting his 13th top-five finish this season.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, climbed from his 11th-place starting spot to lead the field by Lap 74. Martin paced the field for a race-high 41 laps on Sunday before picking up his eighth top-10 finish of the season.

Gordon led 11 laps in his No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Max Chevrolet after starting 17th. But his hopes at a fourth win at Auto Club Speedway were dashed with under 40 laps to go when a speeding penalty on pit road put the No. 24 team at the back of the pack. Gordon steadily climbed his way through the field to score his 16th top-10 finish of the season.

Earnhardt, who lined up eighth for Sunday’s race, steered his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet into the lead after a caution on Lap 53. While the majority of the field pitted under the yellow flag, the No. 88 team attempted pit strategy, which meant Earnhardt was the leader for three laps.

The Sprint Cup Series next will compete this Saturday night at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Race coverage begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Tornados Driver Finishes Fifth at Sponsor’s Home Track

FONTANA, Calif., (October 10, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., by winning Sunday’s Pepsi Max 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Stewart led three times for 27 laps to notch the 39th victory of his Sprint Cup career, his second of the season and his first at Fontana. Stewart has now scored Sprint Cup wins at all but two tracks the Sprint Cup Series currently visits – Las Vegas Motor Speedway and Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.

The win also secured the 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Manufacturers’ Cup for Chevrolet for the 34th time since the inception of the award in 1950. Chevrolet won its first Manufacturers’ Cup in 1958, and this year’s win marked the eighth consecutive season that Chevrolet has captured the title (2003-2010). Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished fifth. It was his third top-five finish this season and his third top-five in 16 career Sprint Cup starts at Fontana.

The last time both SHR cars finished in the top-five was in June 2009 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway where Stewart was victorious and Newman was fifth. The successful weekend in Southern California was even more special as Haas Automation, which SHR co-owner Gene Haas founded, is located just 108 miles west of Fontana in Oxnard, Calif. And Ruiz Foods, maker of Tornados, is located 244 miles northwest of the 2-mile oval in Dinuba, Calif.

Clint Bowyer finished .466 of a second behind Stewart, while Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne and Newman rounded out the top-five. Mark Martin, Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Gordon and David Reutimann comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 36 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came into Fontana 10th among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 127 points behind Chase leader Johnson. His victory vaulted him to fifth in points, 107 markers arrears Johnson.

Newman remained the highest non-Chase driver in the standings at 13th, 60 points ahead of 14th-place Jamie McMurray.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the fifth race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 16 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway. The race begins at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with a pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Four-Time Defending Championship Johnson Takes Over Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship Standings

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Oct. 3, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson, the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup champion, used a second-place finish in Sunday’s race at Kansas Speedway to take the lead in the driver standings.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/Johns Manville Chevrolet, leads the championship standings by eight points with seven races remaining in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. On Sunday, Johnson lined up 21st and steadily worked his way through the field on the strength of strong runs and solid pit stops.

“To come through a poor qualifying effort and fight for track position all day long and get second at the end was really cool,” Johnson said. “I'm glad we had the finish we did. There's still a lot of racing left, but we're doing the right things. We're making bad weekends good weekends. Although we dominated and won (at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last weekend), we didn't have what we wanted leaving practice yesterday. We didn't have what we wanted for the first half of the race. But we kept working on the car and made it better. I can't thank (crew chief) Chad (Knaus) and all these guys on this Lowe's car enough for their hard work and everybody at Hendrick Motorsports for giving us the tools to go to the racetrack.”

Gordon joined his teammate in the top five with a fifth-place finish and improved three positions in the standings to fifth. He led three times for 29 laps during Sunday’s 400-mile event.

“This track has been good to us,” Gordon said. “We were hoping for a little bit more than that with the way things went all weekend long. The way the race started, we were pretty optimistic but we were just missing a little bit there. We lost some track position. I just give a lot of credit to this DuPont Chevrolet team there at the end. Great pit stops. Good adjustments that brought us back up in the top five so that was a great finish.”

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, lined up 28th and ran as high as fifth before crossing the finish line 14th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started Sunday’s contest in 20th and worked through handling issues with his team. He finished 22nd in his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet.

Meanwhile Another Strong Run Lifts Newman to 9th-Place Finish

KANSAS CITY, Kan., (October 3, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City by finishing fourth in Sunday’s Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Stewart led four times for a race-high 76 laps to score his eighth top-five finish this season and his fifth top-five in 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Kansas.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished ninth. It was his 11th top-10 finish this season and his fourth top-10 in 10 career Sprint Cup starts at the 1.5-mile oval.

The last time both SHR cars finished in the top-10 was four races ago at Atlanta Motor Speedway where Stewart won and Newman finished eighth.

Greg Biffle beat Jimmie Johnson by 7.638 seconds to win the Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods. It was his 16th career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his second at Kansas.

Finishing third was Kevin Harvick, while Stewart and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth, Paul Menard, Newman and A.J. Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 24 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 267-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came into Kansas 10th among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 162 points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin. He leaves Kansas still 10th in points, but is now 127 markers arrears new Chase leader Johnson.

Newman remained 13th in the standings and is 22 points ahead of 14th-place Jamie McMurray.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the fourth race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 10 Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif. The race begins at 3 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with a pre-race show at 2 p.m.

Quaker State Driver Continues his Quest in the 2010 Countdown to the Championship

ENNIS, Texas (September 27, 2010) – The Quaker State brand once again returned to the Funny Car of Tony Pedregon this weekend at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec. The competition marked the third event in the 2010 Countdown to the Championship.

The action kicked off with the first round of qualifying on Friday. Pedregon took to the track for his attempt and lined up next to Ron Capps. The driver of the Quaker State Impala laid down a 4.744-second run which ranked him 7th at the completion of the round. Later that afternoon, Pedregon had one more attempt to improve his time. Once again paired with Ron Capps, Pedregon started mixing up cylinders late in the run but still made a strong qualifying attempt and improved his time of record. A 4.263-second run with a top speed of 251.86 mph moved Pedregon to eighth at the end of the second qualification round.

Drivers returned to Texas Motorplex for the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals on Saturday for one more rounds of qualifying. In the third round, Pedregon rattled the tires hard off the line and was forced to give up on the run quickly. The attempt resulted in a 7.963-second run and left him ranked 13th to participate in Sunday’s eliminations.

Tony Pedregon was paired against Bob Tasca III during the first round of eliminations at the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals. Pedregon had been solid throughout the weekend, but with a 2-6 record against Tasca, he knew it would be a difficult round. The Quaker State Impala had a good side-by-side run. Pedregon got the hole-shot, but Tasca drove around him at the 60 foot mark. Despite making his quickest pass of the weekend at 4.234 seconds, the effort still wasn’t good enough to hold off Tasca and Pedregon was eliminated during the opening round.

Pedregon will continue his battle for the 2010 championship at the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway outside Reading, Pa., October 7-10. Qualifications will be televised on ESPN2 beginning at 10:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 9. Coverage will continue on Sunday, Oct. 10, with eliminations beginning at 9:00 p.m. EST also on ESPN.

Meanwhile the Monster Mile Bites Teammate Tony Stewart with 21st-Place Finish

DOVER, Del. (Sept. 26, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Dover (Del.) International Speedway by finishing eighth in Sunday’s AAA 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was his 10th top-10 finish this season and his 11th top-10 in 18 career Sprint Cup starts at Dover.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 21st after a pit road speeding penalty early in the event put him two laps down.

Jimmie Johnson beat Jeff Burton by 2.637 seconds to win the AAA 400 and score the 53rd victory of his Sprint Cup career, his sixth of the season and his sixth at Dover.

Finishing third was Joey Logano, while Kurt Busch and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five. Kyle Busch, Paul Menard, Newman, Denny Hamlin and A.J. Allmendinger comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were four caution periods for 19 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 400-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship. He came into Dover 10th among the top-12 drivers competing for this year’s title, 124 points behind Chase leader Denny Hamlin. He leaves Dover still 10th in points, but 162 markers arrears Hamlin.

Newman remained 13th in the standings with 3,363 points, 19 markers ahead of 14th-place Jamie McMurray.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the third race of the 10-race Chase – is the Oct. 3 Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway in Kansas Speedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show airs at noon on ESPN2.

Gordon Finishes 11th and Moves to Eighth in Championship Point Standings

DOVER, Del. (Sept. 26, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson knows his way around Dover International Speedway, and the four-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion made his sixth trip to Victory Lane at the concrete oval on Sunday. With the win, Johnson improves four spots in the driver standings to second. He ranks just 35 points behind leader Denny Hamlin in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet, opened Sunday’s Cup event from the pole position -- the third of his career at Dover -- and took the lead by Lap 172. Johnson led five times for a race-high 191 laps.

"I just can't thank everybody at Hendrick Motorsports enough for working as hard as they do," Johnson said. "It just never quits. It never stops. And I'm so thankful for the engine shop, the chassis shop and all the great guys who work on this Lowe's/KOBALT Tools car and all the great people at Lowe's and KOBALT Tools for their support; the fans and everything. There's this huge weight off my shoulders that we were able to win a race in the Chase, rebound from last weekend. We're in the middle of this thing, and I'm really, really excited."

Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont/Law Enforcement Museum Chevrolet, began Sunday’s 400-mile affair from the 15th starting spot and worked his way into the top 10 by Lap 60. Gordon overcame a late-race pit miscue to hold on and finish 11th. But despite his competitive run, Gordon slipped four spots to eighth in the Chase.

"You can't give up those positions, especially when you come to a place like this where most of the Chase guys are going to be up front," Gordon said. "The first half of the race went pretty good. The second half, when the rubber laid down, man we just really struggled. It was everything I could do to just hang on to it, let alone finish 11th. So things didn't go our way there at the end. We lost some extra positions and just held on for 11th. That's all we can do."

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 Delphi/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, started Sunday’s race from 42nd and climbed his way into the top 15 by Lap 200. Martin finished 12th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet, started 32nd and worked through handling issues in Sunday’s 400-lap event to finish 23rd.

Teammate Ryan Newman Finishes 8th in New Hampshire Sprint Cup Race

LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 19, 2010) - Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon by finishing eighth in Sunday’s Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race. It was his ninth top-10 finish this season and his 12th top-10 in 18 career Sprint Cup starts at New Hampshire.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished a disappointing 24th after running out of fuel on the penultimate lap while leading. Stewart led three times for 100 laps, second-most of all drivers.

Clint Bowyer wound up the winner, beating Denny Hamlin to the line by .477 of a second to score his third career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his second at New Hampshire. Bowyer led seven times for a race-high 177 laps.

Finishing third was Jamie McMurray, while Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, David Reutimann, Newman, Kyle Busch and Sam Hornish Jr., comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 34 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 300-lap race.

Stewart represents SHR in this year’s Chase for the Championship and came into New Hampshire seeded sixth, 50 points behind Chase leader Hamlin. The two-time Sprint Cup champion leaves Loudon 11th in points, 124 markers arrears Hamlin.

With nine races remaining before a champion is crowned following the season finale Nov. 21 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the top-12 drivers competing for the title rank as follows: 1. Denny Hamlin (5,230 points), 2. Clint Bowyer (5,195 points, -35), 3. Kevin Harvick (5,185 points, -45), 4. Kyle Busch (5,168 points -62), 5. Jeff Gordon (5,155 points, -75) 6. Kurt Busch (5,144 points, -86), 7. Jimmie Johnson (5,138 points, -92), 8. Carl Edwards (5,135 points, -95), 9. Greg Biffle (5,122 points, -108), 10. Jeff Burton (5,118 points, -112), 11. Tony Stewart (5,106 points, -124), 12. Matt Kenseth (5,094 points, -136). 

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the second race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship – is the Sept. 26 AAA 400 at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN2 beginning at noon.

Johnson Involved in Two Multi-Car Incidents En Route to a 25th-Place Finish

LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 19, 2010) – Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon earned spots inside the top six, while their Hendrick Motorsports teammates were caught up in separate incidents during Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, demonstrated his passing prowess during Sunday’s 300-lap event. He lined up 32nd and improved 22 spots within the first 60 laps. Twice more, Earnhardt had to rally back into the top 10. As the race wound down, Earnhardt held on to finish fourth and collect his third top-five finish of the season.

"The setbacks we had today hurt us a lot," Earnhardt said. "I want to thank AMP Energy and National Guard and the team, they worked really hard. We unloaded a great car, they did a good job preparing it at the shop. We worked on it all weekend. It was pretty good in practice and we approved on it a little bit. We had an eighth place finish last time and felt like we were really fast and competitive all day long. We can't qualify very good here, but once we get in race trim, we just kind of go to the front or get near the front."

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet, steadily improved from his 17th starting spot to run inside the top 10 within the first 120 laps. Gordon maintained his position there, even leading once for two laps, before crossing the finish line sixth. A four-time Cup champion, Gordon is ranked fifth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup.

"It wasn't our best day, but I felt like we really brought the No. 24 car home in the best position we possibly could," Gordon said. "We had some high hopes when we got up there to third or fourth; even to second at one time, but I think Steve (Letarte, crew chief) called a great race. He didn't want to risk the fuel, and it just wasn't worth it. We did a gas-and-go and probably just needed to make one adjustment on that last set of tires; we got real tight there at the end, but when those guys didn't make it on fuel it definitely made us feel that much better about the call that Steve made and come home sixth. It was still a good points day for us."

Mark Martin started 26th in his No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet and spent the outset of the race mired in traffic before being involved in an incident on Lap 206 that stunted his team’s forward progress. Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, crossed the finish line 29th.

Johnson started 25th and steered the No. 48 Lowe’s/John’s Manville Chevrolet into the top 10 within the first 30 laps. Johnson ran as high as third and was running ninth when he was involved in a multi-car incident on Lap 223 in Turn 2. Four other contenders in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup were involved in the accident, which pushed the No. 48 team to the back of the pack for the restart. Johnson’s rally was cut short, though, when he was involved in another multi-car incident in Turn 2 almost 20 laps later. The four-time defending champion finished 25th and now ranks seventh in the Chase standings.

"We showed up today," Johnson said. "We did what we could. We had a decent car today and ran in the top five and top 10, but just didn’t end up finishing there. We’ll go home and get back to work and go after it again next week.”

The Chase continues next Sunday at 1 p.m. ET at Dover (Del.) International Speedway. The race will be televised on ESPN.

Tony Stewart Will Begin the Chase for the Championship Ranked Sixth

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 11, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway by finishing 11th in Saturday night’s Air Guard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

Unfortunately, the result was not enough to put Newman into the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, as he leaves Richmond 13th in the point standings, just 98 markers behind 12th-place Greg Biffle. Tony Stewart, Newman’s teammate and car owner, claimed his Chase berth last weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga., by winning the Emory Healthcare 500.

Stewart drove his No. 14 Old Spice/ Office Depot Chevrolet Impala to a 16th-place finish at Richmond. He is seeded sixth in the Chase, 50 points behind top-seed Denny Hamlin.

Hamlin beat his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) teammate, Kyle Busch, by .537 of a second to win the Air Guard 400. It was his 14th career Sprint Cup victory, his series-high sixth of the season and his second at Richmond. The win was especially meaningful to Hamlin as he grew up in Chesterfield, Va., just 22 miles from Richmond International Raceway.

Finishing third was four-time and reigning Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. JGR driver Joey Logano finished fourth, while Marcos Ambrose, Clint Bowyer, Juan Pablo Montoya, A.J. Allmendinger, Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were three caution periods for 28 laps, with five drivers failing to finish the 400-lap race.

Richmond marked the last race of the regular season, as the Chase for the Championship now begins. This is Stewart’s sixth appearance in the Chase and he won the Chase in 2005 – the second year of the format – to collect his second Sprint Cup championship. (Stewart’s first championship came in 2002 under the old NASCAR Winston Cup Series format.)

Only the top-12 drivers in points are eligible to compete for the Chase for the Championship. NASCAR recalibrated the points for those in the top-12 as soon as the Richmond race was over, with each driver getting 5,000 points, plus 10 bonus points for each of their respective wins during the 26-race regular season. For drivers starting the Chase with identical point totals, their seed was determined by the traditional tiebreaker of best finishes beyond race victories. Tony Stewart will start the Chase for the Championship in the sixth position, fifty points behind the top-ranked seed, Denny Hamlin.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule – the first race of the 10-race Chase for the Championship – is the Sept. 19 Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN. A pre-race show will be broadcast at noon on ESPN2.

Chase Kicks Off with Johnson Ranked Second and Gordon Ranked Eighth

RICHMOND, Va. (Sept. 11, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson threatened for the win in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway, but ultimately crossed the finish line third and earned the second-place spot in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Race winner Denny Hamlin captured the top spot for the championship hunt, which begins next weekend at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Johnson opened Saturday’s race from the 11th position and led seven laps, never falling outside of the top 10. With a fifth straight title in his sights, Johnson will be joined in the Chase by his teammate Jeff Gordon, who also is seeking a fifth Cup championship. Gordon drove his No. 24 DuPont/National Guard Military Intelligence Chevrolet to a 12th-place finish Saturday, and he will start the postseason from the eighth position.

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, finished 20th on Saturday, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet to a 34th-place result.

Next weekend the 2010 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship will kick off with the Sylvania 300 from New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday, September 19. ESPN will have a live television broadcast of the event beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. Meanwhile, PRN and Sirius XM Radio provide a live radio play-by-play of the action at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Ryan Newman Bounces Back from Adversity Twice to Post an Eighth-Place Finish

HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by winning Sunday night’s Emory Healthcare 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Stewart led eight times for a race-high 176 laps in the 325-lap contest to score his first victory since winning last October at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City – a span of 31 races. It was the 38th point-paying win of Stewart’s Sprint Cup career and his fifth since joining SHR in 2009. It was also his third Sprint Cup win at Atlanta, as Stewart won at the 1.54-mile oval in March 2002 and October 2006. Stewart has now won a race in each of his 12 Sprint Cup seasons.

In nabbing his first win of 2010, Stewart earned 10 bonus points for the upcoming Chase for the Championship. The two-time Sprint Cup champion clinched his spot in the elite 12-driver Chase via his performance at Atlanta, as he left the penultimate Race to the Chase with an insurmountable 353-point advantage over 13th-place Ryan Newman, Stewart’s teammate and the first driver on the outside looking in at the Chase with only one race remaining before the Chase field is set. This marks the sixth time since the Chase debuted in 2004 that Stewart has qualified for the playoff-like title hunt.

This was also the second Sprint Cup victory for SHR in 2010, as Newman won in April at Phoenix International Raceway.

Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Reserve Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished eighth after starting second. It was his sixth top-10 finish at Atlanta and his eighth top-10 finish of 2010.

Carl Edwards finished 1.316 seconds behind Stewart in the runner-up spot, while Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Burton and Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five. Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya and Marcos Ambrose comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 53 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish.

With round 25 of 36 complete, Stewart picked up two spots to climb to fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He now has 3,302 points and is 283 markers behind series leader Kevin Harvick. Newman gained two positions in the standings and now has 2,949 points and is 117 points back of 12th-place Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the Chase. The top-10 drivers in points are all locked into the Chase.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Sept. 11 Air Guard 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Jeff Gordon Joined Teammate Johnson with Finishes Inside the Top-13

HAMPTON, Ga. (Sept. 5, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson secured his spot inside the upcoming Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup with a third-place finish in Sunday night’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

His Hendrick Motorsports teammates rounded out the top 22. Jeff Gordon finished 13th, Mark Martin took 21st and Dale Earnhardt Jr. scored 22nd.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet, opened Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Atlanta in seventh and contended for the win, leading eight laps toward the end.

“It was a really good night,” said Johnson, who ranks seventh in the driver standings. “There were times where we lost the handle, and we were able to address the car and get it back. All in all, solid day -- good job in the pits, good job on the track. I’m glad to get a good run on a track that’s been tough on us.”

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont/Jeff Gordon Foundation Chevrolet, entered Sunday’s race with his spot secure in the Chase. He started 18th and climbed his way inside the top 10. Handling became an issue, though, and the No. 24 team worked hard to help Gordon finish 13th.

Martin lined up his No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in 17th with his sights set on cracking back into the top 12 in the driver standings. His forward progress was hampered by handling issues, though, and Martin crossed the finish line 21st. He remains 15th in the driver standings, 147 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer with one race remaining until the postseason field is set.

“We just weren’t fast enough,” Martin said. “We really weren’t that far off on our balance. We just didn’t have the speed. We battled and really some of the long runs were ok – we were really close to the leaders. But I was three-quarters of a lap behind. We’ve just got to get our stuff faster.

“We’ll take these next races, and we’ll work really, really hard like we have been to get in the Chase,” Martin added. “And we’ll work hard to get prepared for next year. We had such a rocket ship last year, and Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and I both had a career year last year. That’s what we hope to have next year. Right now, we’ve got some work to do.”

Earnhardt followed Martin across the finish line in 22nd in his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet. Earnhardt started the race 25th and steadily improved his position. He spent most of the race running in the top 15.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Sept. 11 Air Guard 400 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Tony Stewart Is Involved in a Multi-Car Accident En Route to a 27th-Place Finish

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 21, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 WIX Filters Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing sixth in Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. It was Newman’s seventh top-10 of 2010 and his 10th top-10 at Bristol.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 27th to break a five-race string of top-10 finishes. His last result outside the top-10 came July 3 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway where he was caught up in a multi-car accident and placed 25th.

Kyle Busch won the Irwin Tools Night Race to score his 19th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his fourth at Bristol. Busch pulled the Bristol hat trick, winning the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Wednesday night, the NASCAR Nationwide Series race Friday night and the Sprint Cup race Saturday night. It was the first time any driver has swept NASCAR’s top-three touring divisions in a single race weekend.

David Reutimann finished .677 of a second behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Jamie McMurray, Clint Bowyer and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five. Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle, Kurt Busch and Matt Kenseth comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were seven caution periods for 39 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 500-lap race.

With round 24 of 36 complete, Stewart dropped two spots to sixth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He now has 3,107 points and is 414 markers behind series leader Kevin Harvick and 287 points ahead of 13th-place Jamie McMurray, the first driver on the outside looking in at the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, which will be decided in the next two races. Newman fell one position to 15th in the standings. He has 2,802 points and is 118 points back of 12th-place Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the Chase.

The Sprint Cup Series takes a rare weekend off before returning to action at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Sept. 5 Emory Healthcare 500. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finish Inside the Top-15 at Bristol

BRISTOL, Tenn. (Aug. 21, 2010) – Jeff Gordon clinched his spot inside the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and led his Hendrick Motorsports teammates with an 11th-place finish on Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. followed Gordon in 13th, while Mark Martin finished 23rd and Jimmie Johnson finished 35th.

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, climbed from his 26th-starting position to lead two laps and finish 11th. Gordon remains second in the driver standings.

“We’ve had a heck of a season,” Gordon said. “Very consistent runs and strong runs. We haven’t won yet, I still think we have a heck of a shot at the championship. I am really happy to be in the Chase again. Right now we are focused on wins and bonus points and I am a little disappointed with an 11th-place finish tonight but it wasn’t from a lack of effort, that is for sure.

“I hope these fans here had a lot of fun because it was a lot of fun to race. There were a lot of great battles. They have so many amazing fans here in Bristol so thanks for that.”

Earnhardt drove his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet from a 27th-starting spot to a 13th-place finish and is ranked 19th in the driver standings. With two races remaining before the field is set in the Chase, Earnhardt trails 12th-place by 170 points.

Martin started 13th in his No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet and led one lap before crossing finish line 23rd. Martin is ranked 14th in the driver standings, 101 points outside the Chase with two races remaining before the field is set.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, started from the pole position and led 175 laps before being involved in an accident on Lap 262. Johnson’s No. 48 team worked to fix the damage, and he returned to finish 35th. Johnson ranks ninth in the driver standings.

The Sprint Cup Series takes a rare weekend off before returning to action at Atlanta Motor Speedway for the Sept. 5 Emory Healthcare 500. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Gordon Remains Second in the NSCS Point Standings in his Charge for the 2010 Race for the Chase

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 15, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson was Hendrick Motorsports’ highest finisher in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway. Johnson took 12th, while his teammates rounded out the top 28 positions -- Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 19th, Jeff Gordon finished 27th and Mark Martin took 28th.

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, started from the outside pole position and led the first 14 laps. The No. 48 team overcame a miscue on pit road to finish 12th. Johnson remains ranked fifth in the driver standings.

"We overcame a lot today,” Johnson said. “We started the race good and faded a little bit and in the middle of the race when things started to slip from us. We did a good job of keeping our heads in the game and not letting it beat us down and start making bad decisions.”

Earnhardt followed Johnson across the finish line in his No. 88 National Guard ‘Drive the Guard’/AMP Energy Chevrolet to take 19th. Earnhardt opened Sunday’s event from the 38th position and steadily climbed throughout the race, running as high as 15th on Lap 180. He is ranked 17th in the driver standings with three races until the field is set for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Earnhardt is 129 points behind 12th-place Clint Bowyer.

Gordon lined his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet 36th and was running eighth by Lap 80. But misfortune on Lap 154 – a cut tire – hampered Gordon’s run, and he finished 27th. With 10 top-five finishes and 13 top-10s, Gordon remains second in the driver standings.

“We had a great run going, and I was really excited about how good the car was to be able to drive up from 36th,” Gordon said. “I really thought we were going to give those guys a run for the win there. But, everything that could have of happened did happen. We cut the front tire and got damage to the right-rear (tire); the vacuum system -- we had a problem with that.

“We've just got to work hard and keep putting good race cars out there and you just hope that things turn around and come your way. That's the thing about the Chase. Your momentum can shift at any time."

Martin focused his efforts on finding that momentum on Sunday. He lined up 12th in his No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, but unfortunately made contact with the No. 82, which affected the front of the No. 5 Chevrolet. Martin finished 28th and is ranked 13th in the driver standings, 35 points behind 12th-place

"My guys did an awesome job,” Martin said. “The car was really fast the last run but it took us the whole race to fix up my mistake. I was real aggressive early in the race and got the damage in the front. It got us a little bit behind first of all and then got the damage in the front end. We going to race hard like we did today and try not to have any more scrapes but we're going to go down swinging and that's what we did today."

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 21 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Newman Finishes 23rd After Mid-Race Contact Leaves Him Spinning Across the Track

BROOKLYN, Mich. (Aug. 15, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing sixth in Sunday’s CARFAX 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. It was Stewart’s 16th top-10 finish at the 2-mile oval and his 13th top-10 finish this season.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 23rd after running in the top-15 for much of the first half of the event. Mid-race contact with Joey Logano caused Newman to spin and lose a lap. While he eventually regained that lost lap, he ended up mired in traffic and unable to crack the top-15 again.

Kevin Harvick won the CARFAX 400 to score his 14th career Sprint Cup victory, his third of the season and his first at Michigan.

Denny Hamlin finished 1.731 seconds behind Harvick in the runner-up spot, while Carl Edwards, Greg Biffle and Matt Kenseth rounded out the top-five. Stewart, Juan Pablo Montoya, Martin Truex Jr., Elliott Sadler and Logano comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 25 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race.

With round 23 of 36 complete, Stewart jumped four spots to fourth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He now has 3,020 points and is 380 markers behind series leader Harvick and 300 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin, the first driver on the outside looking in at the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, which will be decided in the next three races. Newman remained 14th in the standings. He has 2,652 points and is 103 points back of 12th-place Clint Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the Chase.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 21 Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ABC beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m.

Mark Martin Moves Inside The Race for the Chase

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. (Aug. 8, 2010) – Jeff Gordon earned his 13th top-10 finish of the season while Mark Martin broke into the top 12 in the driver standings in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Watkins Glen International.

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, opened Sunday’s race from the 16th position and steadily climbed through the field. He remains second in the driver standings with four races remaining till the field is set for the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, entered the 90-lap affair only 34 points outside of the top 12. The NASCAR veteran smoothly negotiated the 2.45-mile course and finished 19th, while Clint Bowyer, the driver previously ranked 12th in the standings, experienced a chassis issue and finished 32nd. Martin, now ranked 12th, owns a 10-point advantage over Bowyer, who dropped to 13th.

Jimmie Johnson opened Sunday’s race in the ninth position and worked with his team to find the right handling for his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet. With under 10 laps left in the race, Johnson was involved in an accident in Turn 7. His team hammered out the damage, and Johnson was scored with a 32nd-place finish. Johnson is ranked fifth in the driver standings.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was scored 26th after his team spent most of the race finding a solution for the handling of the No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet. Earnhardt, who opened Sunday’s race 40th, ranks 16th in the driver standings, 121 points out of 12th-place.

Next weekend the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will roar into Michigan International Speedway for the second time this season. The Carfax 400 will be broadcast live on ESPN at 1:00 p.m. EST on Sunday, August 15th. MRN and Sirius XM Radio will also have live coverage from Michigan International Speedway beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Finish Marked Stewart’s Ninth Top-10 at The Glen; Teammate Ryan Newman Finishes 12th

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y . (Aug. 8, 2010) - Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing seventh in Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

It was Stewart’s ninth top-10 finish in 12 career Sprint Cup starts at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course, but ended a streak of six consecutive top-two finishes, including victories in 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2009. It was Stewart’s 12th top-10 finish of the season.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet for SHR, finished 12th. It was his eighth top-12 finish of the season and second in a row, and his best result at Watkins Glen since he finished eighth in 2006.

Juan Pablo Montoya won the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen to score his second career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Watkins Glen.

Kurt Busch finished 4.735 seconds behind Montoya in the runner-up spot, while Marcos Ambrose, A.J. Allmendinger and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five. Jamie McMurray, Stewart, Kyle Busch, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 13 laps, with nine drivers failing to finish the 90-lap race.

With round 22 of 36 complete, Stewart remained eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He now has 2,865 points and is 345 markers behind series leader Kevin Harvick and 234 points ahead of 13th-place Clint Bowyer, the first driver on the outside looking in at the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, which will be decided in the next four races. Newman moved up one position to 14th in the standings. He has 2,558 points and is 83 points back of 12th-place Mark Martin, who holds the final spot in the Chase.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 15 Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

Jeff Gordon Leads Teammates with a Sixth-Place Finish

LONG POND, Pa. (Aug. 1, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports dominated most of Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway, and three of its four drivers left the 500-mile event with top-10 finishes.

Jeff Gordon led his teammates across the finish line with a sixth-place result, while Mark Martin took seventh and Jimmie Johnson finished 10th. Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, left with 27th-place.

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, lined up fourth for Sunday’s event and was the race leader within the first lap. Johnson, who started the race sixth in his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, joined Gordon as a front-runner and led a race-high 96 laps as he battled for his sixth win of the 2010 season. Meanwhile, Martin and Earnhardt jockeyed for position inside the top 10 as the race unfolded.

But ultimately it was Gordon in the best position as the laps counted down. With 35 laps to go, he was running first when a multi-car incident happened on the backstretch, prompting NASCAR officials to wave the red flag. After a 17 minute and 20 second clean-up period, racing resumed and the drivers headed for pit road.

A variety of strategies were employed, and Martin made the best progress off pit road, taking over the third position for the restart on Lap 180. Gordon was 13th, while Johnson was 15th and Earnhardt was 24th. As the race wound down, the drivers worked hard to improve their positions.

Gordon, who led seven times for 39 laps, remains second in the driver standings, while Johnson remains fourth. Martin ranks 13th, but trails 12th-place Clint Bowyer by only 34 points with five races remaining till the cutoff for the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Earnhardt is 14th and trails 12th-place by 129 points.

Stewart’s Achieves 18th Top-10 at Pocono, While a Pit Calls Lifts Newman to 12th-Place Finish at Pocono Raceway

LONG POND, Pa. (Aug. 1, 2010) - Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing second in Sunday’s Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

It was Stewart’s 18th top-10 finish in 24 career Sprint Cup starts at Pocono and his 11th top-10 of 2010. It was also the fourth time in the last five Sprint Cup races at Pocono that Stewart has finished third or better – a stat that includes his first point-paying win as a driver/owner with SHR on June 7, 2009.

Stewart now has three second-place finishes so far this season, with the other two coming at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on March 21 and New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon on June 27. He remains winless this season, with his last victory coming 29 races ago at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City on Oct. 4, 2009.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala for SHR, used late-race pit strategy to finish 12th. On the final pit stop of the day, he and crew chief Tony Gibson opted to make a fuel-only stop, which vaulted them from 24th to eighth. And even with tires that were well worn compared to the drivers around Newman that either took two or four tires, the U.S. Army pilot was able to take advantage of his newfound track position and post a solid result.

Greg Biffle won the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 to score his 15th career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Pocono.

Stewart finished 3.598 seconds behind Biffle, while Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Martin Truex Jr., and Jimmie Johnson comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were five caution periods for 31 laps, with 12 drivers failing to finish the 200-lap race, which was delayed nearly an hour due to rain.

With round 21 of 36 complete, Stewart is eighth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He gained one spot and now has 2,719 points, 361 markers behind series leader Harvick and 189 points ahead of 13th-place Martin, the first driver on the outside looking in at the 12-driver Chase for the Championship, which will be decided in the next five races. Newman held his 15th position in the standings. He has 2,426 points and is 138 points back of 12th-place Clint Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the Chase.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 8 Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen at the Watkins Glen (N.Y) International road course, where Stewart is a five-time victor and the defending race winner. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

Tony Stewart Leads the SHR Contingent with Fifth-Place Finish While Ryan Newman Comes Home 17th

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 25, 2010) - Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing fifth in Sunday’s 17th running of the Brickyard 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It was Stewart’s sixth top-five finish in 12 career Sprint Cup starts at Indianapolis and his fifth top-five of 2010.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 17th after battling back from two early flat tires that had him two laps down and in 37th-place just 20 laps into the 160-lap contest.

Jamie McMurray won the Brickyard 400 to score his fifth career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his first at Indianapolis. McMurray also won the 2010 Daytona 500, making him just the third driver in NASCAR history to win the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400 in the same season. Dale Jarrett first accomplished the feat in 1996, while Jimmie Johnson won both races in 2006.

Championship point leader Kevin Harvick finished 1.391 seconds behind race-winner McMurray, while Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Stewart rounded out the top-five. Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were six caution periods for 25 laps, with 10 drivers failing to finish.

With round 20 of 36 complete, Stewart remains ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He has 2,544 points, 376 markers behind series leader Harvick and 160 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin. Newman gained one spot and is now 15th. He has 2,299 points and is 147 points back of 12th-place Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship with six races remaining before the Chase begins.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the Aug. 1 Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon on ESPN2.

The Four-Car Hendrick Motorsports Team Raced Inside the Top-15 before Succumbing to a Variety of Obstacles in the 17th Annual Brickyard 400

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (July 25, 2010) – Although the Hendrick Motorsports lineup started Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event strong, Mark Martin scored the highest finish and placed 11th in the 400-mile event.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, started from the third position and battled early for the lead with Juan Pablo Montoya and teammate Jimmie Johnson. Martin eventually took the lead, pacing the field for 10 laps. He crossed the finish line 11th and is ranked 13th in the driver standings.

Johnson lined up his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet from the outside pole position and maintained his footing inside the top 10 during the outset of the race. The two-time defending race winner led one lap but experienced handling issues that resulted in a 22nd-place finish for the No. 48 team.

“We were just trying to make the car better on the pit stops,” said Johnson, who ranks fourth in the driver standings. “We took some time early in the race to adjust the car and correct the tight in. My car was just so tight in. I had guys out-braking me at a track where you really don't charge the corner. We were really confused as to why.”

Jeff Gordon started eight in the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet and never dropped out of the top 15 until late in the race. With about 30 laps to go, Gordon shredded a tire. The unscheduled pit stop jeopardized his running position, and he crossed the finish line 23rd behind Johnson.

"We just didn't have it,” said Gordon, who is ranked second in the driver standings. “We looked pretty good in qualifying but I thought in practice we were going to be better. As a group, we'll go back and review everything and try to see what we're missing and we'll pay attention to the competition. This is a unique place. We all want to win here.”

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started 17th and ran as high as 13th during Sunday’s race. The driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet also experienced handling issues during the middle of the race that affected his forward progress. He worked with crew chief Lance McGrew to address the issue, and the No. 88 team was attempting to charge through the field when Earnhardt was collected in an incident with Montoya in Turn 4. Earnhardt finished the event 27th and is ranked 14th in the driver standings.

“Right in the middle of the race, it got real tight,” Earnhardt said. “Then we fixed it. I felt like we were pretty good coming up through there. Right at the end, I felt like we had a good car, a good top-10 car. (Juan Pablo) Montoya got in the fence there and just kind of pulled down and stopped in front of us. I was side-by-side with somebody. I didn’t even see him hit the wall, I didn’t even know there was a car in the wall until he came across the No. 47 (Marcos Ambrose) hood and there he was, I ran right in the back of them, nowhere to go.”

Next week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will travel to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, August 1. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 will begin at 1:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. MRN and SIRIUS XM Satellite Radio will provide a radio broadcast of the 200-lap race beginning at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Other Members of Hendrick Motorsports Race Inside The Top 25 Positions to Maintain Point Standing

JOLIET, Ill. (July 10, 2010) – Jeff Gordon earned his ninth top-five finish of the season and drew closer to points leader Kevin Harvick in the championship standings after Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Chicagoland Speedway.

Gordon lined up his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet sixth for his 600th Cup start. He led twice for 47 laps before crossing the finish line third. He remains second in the driver standings – 103 points behind Harvick.

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, rallied from his 21st starting spot to finish 15th, while Dale Earnhardt Jr. was scored 23rd in his No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet. Earnhardt now ranks 13th in the driver standings, and Martin is 14th.

Jimmie Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, opened Saturday’s race from the outside pole position and led the first 92 laps. He held steady in the top 10, but lost position after spinning on the backstretch on Lap 137. Johnson, who remains third in the driver standings, crossed the finish line 25th.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 25th with the 16th running of the Brickyard 400. Live flag-to-flag coverage will kick off on ESPN beginning at 1:00 p.m. EST. IMS Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio will begin at 12:00 p.m. EST.

Newman Endures Disappointing Night at Chicagoland

Joliet, Ill. (July 12, 2010) - Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice “Back-to-School” Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing ninth in Saturday night’s LifeLock.com 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. It was Stewart’s eighth top-10 finish in 10 career Sprint Cup starts at Chicagoland and his ninth top-10 of the 2010 season.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Haas Automation Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 22nd. Newman struggled with an ill-handling racecar for much of the night switching back and forth between an extremely tight handling racecar and an extremely loose handling car. David Reutimann won the LifeLock.com 400 to score his second career Sprint Cup victory, his first of the season and his first at Chicagoland. Reutimann’s only other victory came in the 2009 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway, which was rain-shortened, with only 227 of the 400 scheduled laps completed.

Carl Edwards finished .727 of a second behind race winner Reutimann, while Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top-five. Kasey Kahne, Jeff Burton, Denny Hamlin, Stewart and Paul Menard comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were four caution periods for 21 laps, with eight drivers failing to finish the 267-lap race.

With round 19 of 36 complete, Stewart remained ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He has 2,389 points, 356 markers behind series leader Kevin Harvick and 118 points ahead of 13th-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. Newman fell one spot to 16th. He has 2,187 points and is 99 points back of 12th-place Bowyer, who holds the final spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship with seven races remaining before the Chase begins.

The Sprint Cup Series takes a rare weekend off before heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the July 25 Brickyard 400. The race begins at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

JEFF GORDON AND DALE EARNHARDT JR. SURVIVE WRECK-FEST AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY TO FINISH IN THE TOP FOUR

Johnson and Martin Saw Sparks Fly as They Were Caught Up in “The Big One” With Just 12 Scheduled Laps Remaining in Coke Zero 400

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 3, 2010) – Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. survived Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Daytona International Speedway to score top-four finishes and improve in the driver standings.

Their Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson were not quite as fortunate and were collected in a race-ending, multi-car accident on Lap 148.

Although rain delayed the start of the 400-mile event, all four Hendrick drivers started Saturday’s race strong. Inclement weather affected Friday’s qualifying session so the field was set according to owner points and Hendrick’s quartet started within the top 11. The teams held steady during the outset of the race.

The race unfolded without major incident during the first 115 laps, and each team worked to find the right setup for the 2.5-mile superspeedway. With fewer than 50 laps to run, multi-car accidents started to become a regular occurrence.

The biggest of those wrecks happened on Lap 148 and involved Johnson’s No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet and Martin’s No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Martin, who now ranks 13th in the driver standings, was scored with a 28th-place finish. Johnson was scored 31st and now ranks third in the championship standings.

Gordon and Earnhardt survived the 19-car collision in Turn 3 that brought out the red flag for almost 10 minutes. When the field returned to green-flag racing on Lap 151, Gordon and Earnhardt both were running in the top 10.

Gordon patiently steered his No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet to his ninth top-five finish of the season. The four-time Sprint Cup Champion improves three spots in the driver standings to second.

Earnhardt, who hasn’t finished outside of the top 11 during the last four races, kept his team’s momentum going with a fourth-place finish. The driver of the No. 88 National Guard ‘8Soldiers 8 Missions’/AMP Energy Chevrolet improves to 11th in the driver standings.

Next week the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races under the lights at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday, July 10. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin at 7:30 p.m. EST on TNT with radio coverage on MRN and SIRIUS XM Satellite radio beginning at 6:30 p.m. EST.

HUGE WRECK IN THE CLOSING LAPS AT DAYTONA INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY SIDELINED BOTH STEWART-HAAS RACING TEAMS

Tony Stewart Finishes in 25th and Ryan Newman Comes Home in 26th

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 3, 2010) – Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Burger King Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing 25th in Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

Stewart was caught up in a huge, multi-car wreck 12 laps short of the race’s originally scheduled 160-lap distance. The resulting red flag allowed the No. 14 crew to evaluate the car’s damage once it was towed back into the garage, and upon the red flag being lifted, they were able to go to work. Miraculously, the team repaired the car well enough for Stewart to make a handful of laps and leapfrog many of the other drivers who were involved in the same accident. Seven spots were picked up, allowing Stewart to bring home a top-25 finish.

The accident overshadowed what had been a strong run for Stewart, as he led twice for a total of seven laps around the 2.5-mile oval.

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 Tornados Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 26th after getting caught up in the same lap-148 melee.

Stewart and Newman were two of 19 drivers involved in the “Big One.” Nine of those drivers were forced to retire as a result of damage sustained in the accident.

Kevin Harvick won the Coke Zero 400 powered by Coca-Cola to score his 13th career Sprint Cup victory, his second of the season and his second point-paying win at Daytona.

Kasey Kahne finished .092 of a second behind Harvick in the runner-up spot, while Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-five. Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Reed Sorensen, Mike Bliss and Scott Speed comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were nine caution periods for 37 laps, with 18 drivers failing to complete the 166-lap race, which was extended six laps via a green-white-checkered finish.

With round 18 of 36 complete, Stewart is ninth in the Sprint Cup championship standings. He maintained his position and now has 2,251 points, 433 markers behind series leader Harvick and 120 points ahead of 13th-place Mark Martin. Newman fell one spot to 15th. He has 2,090 points and is 80 points back of 12th-place Carl Edwards, who holds the final spot in the 12-driver Chase for the Championship with eight races remaining before the Chase begins.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the July 10 LifeLock.com 400 at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at 6:30 p.m.

TONY STEWART TAKES CHECKERED FLAG IN RUNNER-UP SPOT IN LOUDON

Fellow Stewart-Haas Teammate Newman Scores a Top-10 Run with a Sixth-Place Finish

LOUDON, NH (June 27, 2010) – The Stewart-Haas Racing team had strong performances in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway with Tony Stewart leading the two-car team with a second-place finish in the LENOX Industrial Tools 301. Fellow SHR teammate Ryan Newman finished just outside the top-five with a sixth-place run.

Stewart started in the 25th position but ran throughout the field for most of the event. The driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet got off sequence with the other cars after they didn’t get the car full of fuel on an early pit stop. Stewart and his team worked hard to battle back toward the front with a couple of late-race cautions aiding him.

"Yeah, these guys did an awesome job on this Old Spice/Office Depot team today,” commented Stewart on his run bad through the field. “We didn't get fuel in on the first stop there and that caused us to keep having to come in because we were at the end of our fuel window every time we were coming. We'd gain a little bit and then we'd lose it all back and then some. But we kept fighting all day. We got caught out there at the end and had to take a wave-around to stay on the lead lap there and fought our way up to second. That was pretty cool."

Stewart’s runner-up finish gained him one position in the point standings where he now sits ninth.

Fellow SHR teammate Ryan Newman also had strong race finishing sixth after running in the top-15 for most of the 301-lap race. Newman also gained a spot in the point standings and now sits 14th still in contention to make the top-12 before the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts.

Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag for his second win in a row with Stewart finishing in the runner-up position. Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a stop at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 3. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 6:30 p.m. (ET) on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

JIMMIE JOHNSON EARNS SECOND WIN IN A ROW WITH VICTORY AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Fellow HMS Teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Score Top-10 Finishes

LOUDON, NH (June 27, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag in Sunday’s running of the LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to score his fifth win of the 2010 season and second victory in as many weeks. Johnson led three different times for nine laps before crossing the start-finish line securing his second-place position in the championship point standings.

"First and foremost I just want to thank Lowe's and all their employee-owners, everybody at Chevrolet and Hendrick Motorsports for giving me a great race car,” commented Johnson from Victory Lane. “We lost some track position but I just kept my head down and stayed focused and picked them off one at a time. Chad (Knaus) had some great strategy pitting a lap or two early over some guys and we were able to get out on the track and make up time and pick up a couple of spots there."

Jeff Gordon finished fourth after racing in the top-10 most of the day after starting from the 16th position and working his way into the top-10 by the 30th circuit. The four-time champ’s top-five finish kept him in the fifth position in the point standings as well.

Fellow Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had a solid run in Loudon finishing eighth in the 301-lap event. Earnhardt started deep in the field but made a steady trek into the top-10 running positions by lap 105. NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” remained toward the front of the field for the remainder of the race and moved to within three points of the top-12 in the point standings.

Veteran driver Mark Martin had a strong qualifying run starting from the fourth position. He remained in the top-10 for the first portion of the race but gradually fell back before finishing 21st. Martin remains 11th in the point standings.

Following Johnson in the running order were Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch in second and third. Gordon and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is a stop at the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, July 3. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Coke Zero 400 presented by Coca-Cola begins at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 6:30 p.m. (ET) on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Top-10 Run Gains Stewart One Spot in Point Standings

SONOMA, CA (June 20, 2010) – Stewart-Haas Racing driver Tony Stewart led the team’s two-car contingent in Sunday’s Sprint Cup Series event at Infineon Raceway by finishing ninth on the 1.99-mile road course. The driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet led one time for two laps before earning his seventh top-10 finish of the season.

“We just struggled getting forward bite all weekend,” commented Stewart’s crew chief Darian Grubb on his driver’s run. “The car was actually really good with balance left versus right, compared to what we had last year, so we thought we had a pretty good setup. When the track got slicker, we thought it was our strong point, but it went away pretty quick. Top 10 is not exactly what we came here to do. We came here to win the race. But, getting a top 10 and moving into the top 10 in points, that’s what we needed to do.”

Fellow SHR driver Ryan Newman finished just outside the top-15 after starting in the 13th spot. The No. 39 Chevy driver raced around the 15th spot for much of the 110-lap event before receiving slight damage in a multi-car accident on a late-race restart. Newman was able to continue and finish 16th for the day.

Jimmie Johnson took the checkered flag collecting his fourth win of the season and was followed by Robby Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne. Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to oval-track racing next weekend for the running of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Live flag-to-flag coverage begins on Sunday, June 27 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 12:00 p.m. (ET) on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Hendrick Driver Scores First Road Course Win

SONOMA, CA (June 20, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Infineon Raceway claiming his fourth win of the season along with his first career road course victory. Johnson led three times for a race-high 55 laps before taking the checkered flag for the win. Johnson also gained four positions in the championship point standings moving into the runner-up spot after 16 races.

"It feels so good,” commented Johnson on his first road course win. “I've been working really hard to get better as a road course driver. I have to thank Bob Stallings and Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty and Kyle Brannan and all the guys at GAINSCO Racing who have been working with me and letting me come and run their Grand Am car. It has been a big help. On top of that Hendrick Motorsports has been working so hard to get better at this stuff. We tested again and again and again and we are getting better. I'm getting better and we have all the tools here. Just an awesome day. Happy Father's Day to my Dad and it is also my Mom's birthday, so one heck of a day."

Fellow Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon also earned a top-five finish by coming home in the fifth position. The four-time Sprint Cup champion ran up front most of the day, remaining in the top-five. Gordon’s finish also gained him spots in the point standings moving him into the fifth position.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a decent day finishing just outside the top-10 in the 11th position coming on strong in the closing stages of the race. Earnhardt moved up one spot in points and now sits just outside the top-12 in the 13th position. Veteran driver Mark Martin finished 14th gaining one position in the point standings moving into the 11th spot.

Following Johnson in the field were Robby Gordon and Kevin Harvick. Kasey Kahne and Gordon rounded out the top-five. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to oval-track racing next weekend for the running of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Live flag-to-flag coverage begins on Sunday, June 27 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 12:00 p.m. (ET) on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Stewart Now in Top-12 in Points After Fifth-Place Finish at Michigan

BROOKLYN, MI (June 13, 2010) - Tony Stewart led the two-car contingent of Stewart-Haas Racing with a top-five finish in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Race at Michigan International Speedway. Stewart’s fifth-place run was his third top-five finish of the season and helped move him up two spots in the NSCS point standings. He now sits in the 11th spot.

"I’m pretty excited about it," commented Stewart on his run Sunday. "That’s the best car we’ve had in a long time, so I’m really proud of our guys. We’re definitely gaining on it. I felt racy today. So, it was a pretty good day for the Old Spice/Office Depot Chevy today."

Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet, ran in the top-10 for the first 40 circuits and top-15 until lap 140. It was late in the race when he ran over some debris causing damage to the front end of his machine. The team was never able to recover and Newman ended up 32nd for the day.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for his fifth win of the season with Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch coming in second and third. Jeff Gordon and Stewart rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the season’s first road course event as the series heads West to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will begin on TNT at 3:00 p.m. (ET) and PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

Three of the Four Hendrick Motorsports Team Cars Finish in the Top-10 at Michigan

BROOKLYN, MI (June 13, 2010) – Three of the four Hendrick Motorsports team cars turned in solid runs in Sunday’s running of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Jeff Gordon led the four-car stable with a fourth-place run followed by Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. who also finished in the top-10. Fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin finished just outside the top-15 with a 16th-place run.

Gordon fought handling issues early after starting from the sixth position but the No. 24 team was able to make adjustments to get their driver back on track. The four-time Sprint Cup champion spent most of the 200-lap race running in the top-10 before racking up another top-five finish.

"It was a challenging race, just trying to get the balance of the car from one end to the next, and getting track position, so there was a lot on the pit crew," commented Gordon. "And Steve [Letarte, crew chief] making the calls, as well as just trying to get in position. We were a third- or fourth-place car today, and to come home fourth, it’s a good day for this DuPont/National Guard Chevrolet. It was a challenging day, but it wouldn’t have taken but a few more things to make this great and a chance to win. We’re real happy with today to get a top-five. It was a good points day, and we know that we’re way behind that 11, and we’ve got some work to do there."

Both Johnson and Earnhardt spent much of the race running in the top-10 while veteran driver Mark Martin struggled running mid-pack for most of the event before finishing 16th.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for his fifth win of the season with Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch coming in second and third. Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the season’s first road course event as the series heads West to Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will begin on TNT at 3:00 p.m. (ET) and PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio at 2:00 p.m. (ET).

Tony Stewart's Third-Place Finish Gives Stewart-Hass Racing Team Places Two in Top 15 at Pocono. Fellow SHR Teammate Ryan Newman Earns a Top-15 Run.

LONG POND, PA (June 6, 2010) – Tony Stewart led the Stewart-Haas Racing team in Sunday’s running of the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target by finishing third in the 500-mile event. Fellow SHR teammate Ryan Newman earned a top-15 run finishing 14th for the day.

Stewart, driver of the No 14 Old Spice/Office Depot Chevrolet, started in the sixth position but raced mid-pack for most of the day. The Indiana native broke back into the top-five by lap 170 before finishing third.

"We’ll take it for the Office Depot/Old Spice Chevy," commented Stewart after the race. "Not a beautiful day by any means but we got where we needed to in the end. We got some track position and we had a pretty good car when we got there. I wasn’t very good in traffic and a lot of guys were racing like a bunch of idiots out there today."

Newman raced his No. 39 U.S. Haas Automation Chevrolet around the 20th spot for most of the day making his way into the top-10 running positions between laps 170 and 180. The SHR driver fell back out of the top-10 but was able to hang on for the top-15 finish.

Denny Hamlin won the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target with Kyle Busch and Stewart finishing second and third. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway next for round 15 of 36 on Sunday, June 13, 2010. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 12:00 p.m. on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Jimmie Johnson Scores A Top-Five Finish In Pocono. HMS Teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon Fell Out after Late-Race Melee

LONG POND, PA (June 6, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson was the top finishing Hendrick Motorsports car in Sunday’s running of the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target. Johnson drove his No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet to a fifth-place finish while fellow teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon were involved in a last-lap multi-car accident. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to avoid the wreck to finish 19th.

Johnson broke into the top-10 by lap 30 after starting from the 25th position. The defending champion fell out of the top-10 running positions late in the race but was able to work his way back into the top-five.

"We had a great race car," stated Johnson. "We got up to second and was running with the No. 11 (Denny Hamlin) on pace. And then the pit strategy stuff started coming into play and I was maybe a little cautious on some of the restarts trying to take care of myself and not tear up another race car. And maybe it cost me a little bit. But in the end, great performance. We had a top car, a top speed car all day long and I brought it home in 5th."

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started in the third spot but dropped out of the top-10 by lap 30. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet experienced problems throughout the race finishing just inside the top-20.

Mark Martin struggled throughout the event running mid-pack for most of the race while Jeff Gordon was a top-10 car for the first half of the race but fell back in the second half. The two teammates were unable to avoid the big wreck on the final lap and suffered too much damage to finish the race.

Denny Hamlin won the Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 presented by Target with Kyle Busch and Tony Stewart finishing second and third. Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson rounded out the top five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Michigan International Speedway next for round 15 of 36 on Sunday, June 13, 2010. Live flag-to-flag coverage of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on TNT and 12:00 p.m. on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Ryan Newman Scores A Top-10 Finish In The Coca-Cola 600 At Charlotte Motor Speedway. Fellow SHR teammate Tony Stewart Finishes 15th.

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 31, 2010) – Ryan Newman, driver of the No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala, led the two-car Stewart-Haas Racing (SHR) contingent by finishing ninth in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Newman started from the pole for the 46th time of his Sprint Cup career and for the ninth time in his 19 races at Charlotte. His top-10 effort was his third in the last four Sprint Cup races and his fifth top-10 finish this season.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Office Depot/Old Spice Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 15th. It was Stewart’s sixth top-15 result this season.

Kurt Busch, who won last weekend’s non-points NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte, swept the city’s Sprint Cup action by winning the Coca-Cola 600. It was Busch’s second win this season, his first point-paying win at Charlotte and his 22nd career Sprint Cup victory.

Daytona 500 champion Jamie McMurray finished .737 of a second behind Busch in the runner-up spot, while Kyle Busch, Mark Martin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five. Jeff Gordon, Clint Bowyer, Paul Menard, Newman and Matt Kenseth comprised the remainder of the top-10.

There were eight caution periods for 34 laps, with seven drivers failing to finish the 400-lap race.

With round 13 of 36 complete, Newman moved in to the top-12 in the Sprint Cup championship standings. Thanks to his top-10 finish at Charlotte, Newman gained one spot to rise to 12th, where he now has 1,547 points and is 351 markers behind series leader Kevin Harvick. Stewart lost two positions to fall to 16th in the standings. He has 1,520 points and is 27 points out of 12th.

The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule is the June 6 Gillette Fusion ProGlide 500 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. The race starts at 1 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by TNT beginning with its pre-race show at noon.

Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon Utilized Late-Race Pit Strategy To Achieve Top-10 Finishes In The Coca-Cola 600. Johnson Struggles With Ill-Handling Car and Involvement in Two Mid-Race Incidents to Finish 37th.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (May 30, 2010) – Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon took advantage of a late-race caution to improve their track position and leave Sunday’s 600-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event with top-10 finishes.

Martin and Gordon both made pit stops prior to the caution on Lap 377 and opted to stay out when the yellow flag was waved for a spin on the backstretch. Martin and Gordon jockeyed for position and crossed the finish line fourth and sixth, respectively.

“We had a good car in the second half (of the race),” said Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST Auto Parts/GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, who improves one position to 10th in the driver standings. “We messed up on a pit stop; we just stayed behind all day. We knew we had a good race car there at the end. We knew we didn’t need tires. Yes, to run with the front two, we needed tires, but we were strong. Great effort CARQUEST, all our supporters, GoDaddy.com, Delphi, Chevrolet. This race team pulled a rabbit out of the hat.”

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Stars and Stripes Chevrolet, led three laps and improves two spots in the driver standings to fourth.

“Well the finish wasn't bad, you know,” Gordon said. “I feel like that was the best we'd been. It was definitely a long, long 600 miles for us. We struggled at the beginning in the daytime and luckily stayed on the lead lap. We fought hard and got some track position and did our best to maintain it, but we just never really had it tonight. So we know we've got to work on some things for when we come back."

Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard “Honoring Our Soldiers”/AMP Energy Chevrolet, led once for 10 laps. As the race progressed, however, he was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop for debris on the grill of his Chevy. He crossed the finish line 22nd and now ranks 17th in the driver standings.

Jimmie Johnson led 36 laps early, but was involved in two mid-race incidents that hindered his No. 48 Lowe’s “Memorial Day Tribute” Chevrolet. Johnson’s team rallied, making the necessary repairs, and Johnson, a six-time winner at the 1.5-mile speedway, finished 37th.

"That first one (incident) was just a racing deal,” said Johnson, who ranks seventh in the driver standings. “I got in the fence and did some damage. We were trying to recover from that, and I was trying to run from the leader, trying to be respectful of the leader, and I had the leader on my tail coming through. We made some big adjustments to the car and basically adjusted it to free it up there, and I just spun out off of (Turn) 2."

Tony Stewart Earns A Top-Five Finish in the Nascar Sprint All-Star Race. Fellow SHR teammate Ryan Newman Finished 11th

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 22, 2010) – Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman both participated in Saturday night’s running of the NASCAR Sprint All-Star race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The two-car SHR contingent was able to avoid a late-race incident to finish fifth and 11th respectively.

Two-time Sprint Cup champion and driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet, Tony Stewart led the two-car team by finishing fifth after starting from the 11th spot. Stewart’s solid run marked his eighth top-10 finish in his 12 career All-Star starts.

"We learned some things that we hope to use next weekend,” commented the co-owner of Stewart-Haas Racing. “It still wasn't perfect at the end but we made ground on it and it finally gave us a little stability. I think we're slightly on to something. Now, we're going to have to work around this a little bit we definitely made some gains."

Fellow SHR teammate and Quaker State driver Ryan Newman finished just outside the top-10 in Saturday’s race. The driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet earned his sixth top-15 finish in his eight career All-Star races.

Kurt Busch took the million dollar win on Saturday night and was followed by Martin Truex, Jr. and Joey Logano. Denny Hamlin along with Stewart rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin at 5:45 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. (ET).

All Four Hendrick Drivers Finish in the Top-20 in Million Dollar Event

CHARLOTTE, NC (May 22, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson was in position to contend for the million dollar win on Saturday night in the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, but a late-race incident cost the four-time champion his shot at the victory.

Johnson led a race-high 56 laps before spinning through the grass on the second green-white-checkered restart in the final 10-lap segment. A trip to the pit lane allowed the No. 48 team a chance to make minor repairs and Johnson returned to the track to finish 13th for the night.

"I was pinned on the inside and still had a great car,” Johnson said of his spin on Lap 97. “I just couldn't get going on those first two laps kind of. Then that last time, I knew we were coming to the white (flag). Knew I had to clear the No. 11 on the outside of me so I just kept my foot in it, and I could feel them outside of me kind of pulling the back end of my car around but I said, ‘The hell with it; it's the All Star race.’ Kept my foot to the floor and hoped that I made it off the turn, and I didn't. It turned around on me."

As the green-flag waved for the final 10-lap segment a multi-car crash was triggered on the first lap collecting Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin. Both Gordon and Martin had too extensive repairs to continue however Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s team was able to make repairs and get their driver back out.

Junior took the checkered flag in the 12th spot scoring the highest finish for HMS with Mark Martin finishing 17th and Jeff Gordon 20th.

Kurt Busch took the million dollar win on Saturday night and was followed by Martin Truex, Jr. and Joey Logano. Denny Hamlin and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 29 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin at 5:45 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio beginning at 5:00 p.m. (ET).

Tony Stewart Nets A Top-10 Finish At The Monster Mile While Stewart-Haas Teammate Ryan Newman Finishes in the Top-15 with a 13th-place Run

DOVER, DE (May 16, 2010) – Stewart-Haas Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman turned in steady runs in Sunday’s running of the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway. Both drivers gained spots in the point standings with their finishes as the series completed its 12th event of the 2010 season.

After starting in the 16th position, Stewart had a strong going in the beginning of the 400-lap event but fell out of the top-10 mid-way through the race. The driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet worked his way back into the top-10 in the final 100 laps of the race before finishing in the ninth position.

Fellow SHR teammate Ryan Newman rolled off from the sixth position before falling out of the top-10 early in the event. He steadily worked his way back into the top-15 after running near the 20th spot to finish 13th.

"Our Army Chevy wasn't that good in the beginning and we almost had a tire go down,” Newman said following the race. “But (crew chief) Tony Gibson and the crew guys kept working on the car and made it better as the race went on. In the early going, we looked like a 25th-place car but came home 13th. We took a bad day and turned it into a decent day. We're a battling team with great will and have a strong desire for success. It's the same will and pride that are Soldiers have. Wearing the Army uniform inspires every one of us on this No. 39 Stewart-Haas team."

Both drivers gained spots in the point standings with Newman moving up one position to 13th place and Stewart gaining four positions moving into the 14th spot.

Kyle Busch took the win at Dover with Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth coming in second and third. Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the NASCAR All-Star race set for Saturday night, May 22. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin at 9:00 p.m. on SPEED with radio coverage on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Jeff Gordon nets highest finish for Hendrick Motorsports with 11th-place run at Monster Mile. Late-Race Pit Road Penalty Spoils Dominate Run for Jimmie Johnson.

DOVER, DE (May 16, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports struggled in today’s running of the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway with Jeff Gordon netting the highest finishing position with an 11th-place run.

Four-time and defending champion Jimmie Johnson dominated the 400-lap event leading 225 laps and battling for the lead throughout most of the race. It was on the final pit stop of the day that the driver of the No. 48 Chevrolet was caught speeding on pit road during a green-flag pit stop and had to serve a pass through penalty putting him down a lap. Johnson went on to finish 16th.

Mark Martin started from the third spot but fell out of the top-10 after the first 100 laps. The veteran driver raced his way back into the top-15 in the final stages of the race before finishing 15th.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled throughout the 400-mile event and had a mechanical issue that sent him to the garage for repairs. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet wound up finishing in the 30th position many laps down.

Johnson, Gordon and Martin all remain in the top-12 in the point standings. Earnhardt dropped out of the top-12 to the 16th position after losing four spots.

Kyle Busch took the win at Dover with Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth coming in second and third. Denny Hamlin and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the NASCAR All-Star race set for Saturday night, May 22. Live flag-to-flag coverage will begin at 9:00 p.m. on SPEED with radio coverage on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Ryan Newman Scores A Top-10 Finish In Darlington, SHR Teammate Tony Stewart Comes Home in the 23rd Spot

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 8, 2010) – Stewart-Haas Racing driver Ryan Newman scored another top-10 finish Saturday night at Darlington Raceway while fellow SHR teammate Tony Stewart finished 23rd after suffering from different issues that relegated him to the top-25 finish.

Newman’s ninth-place run marked his fourth top-10 finish of the season and eighth top-10 at the 1.366-mile track. The driver of the No. 39 Chevrolet raced in the top-10 until lap 100 but returned to the front late in the race to finish ninth.

Tony Stewart, driver of the No. 14 Chevrolet Impala for SHR, finished 23rd after suffering from an ill-handling machine among other problems that plagued the team throughout the night.

Newman’s top-10 finish moved him up two spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings where he now sits in the 14th position. Stewart’s 23rd-place finish dropped him three spots to the 18th position.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for his third win of the 2010 season with pole sitter Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch following him. Jeff Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway next on Sunday, May 16, 2010. Live television coverage of the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk and Milkshakes will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Jeff Gordon Scores Another Top-Five Finish. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Finish in the Top-20 while Jimmie Johnson has Trouble and Falls out Early

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 8, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon picked up his fifth top-five finish of the season in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event at Darlington Raceway. Fellow teammates Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. took the checkered flag in the 16th and 18th spots respectively while four-time champion Jimmie Johnson was involved in a mid-race crash that ended his evening early.

Gordon, who started the Showtime Southern 500 from the outside pole, took the lead on the first lap before leading a race-high 110 laps. The driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet had a significant lead when he attempted a green-flag pit stop missing the pit lane on his first attempt and had to make a second attempt at a pit stop. Gordon was on pit road when the caution flag was thrown but was able to remain on the lead lap. The four-time champion had work his way back through the field to finish fourth.

Veteran driver Mark Martin had his No. 5 Chevrolet in the top-15 running positions in the 367-lap event when he was caught on pit road when caution waved putting him a lap down. Fellow HMS and Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. suffered a cut tire that dropped him out of the top-10 running positions. NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” struggled to regain those spots and had to settle for the 18th finishing position.

Defending and four-time champion Jimmie Johnson struggled all night recovering from early contact with the outside retaining wall before getting collected by another driver under the caution on lap 178. The damage to the No. 48 Chevrolet was too severe for Johnson to continue and he was credited with the 36th finishing spot.

Johnson remains second in the point standings while Gordon and Earnhardt gained positions and sit fourth and 12th. Mark Martin maintained his 10th-place position putting all four HMS drivers in the top 12.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for his third win of the 2010 season with pole sitter Jamie McMurray and Kurt Busch following him. Gordon and Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway next on Sunday, May 16, 2010. Live television coverage of the Autism Speaks 400 presented by Hershey’s Milk and Milkshakes will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio at 12:00 p.m. (ET).

Stewart-Haas Racing Driver Ryan Newman Scored A Top-10 Finish In Saturday Night Racing At Richmond. Fellow SHR Teammate Tony Stewart Finished 23rd

RICHMOND, VA (May 1, 2010) – Stewart-Haas racing teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman turned in mixed results in Saturday night’s Sprint Cup Series event at Richmond International Raceway.

After starting from the eight spot, Newman fell out of the top-10 mid-way through the event before regaining a spot at the front of the field in the closing laps to finish eighth. The driver of the Army Medicine Chevrolet gained two positions in the point standings with his solid run to move into the 16th spot.

“It was a good points night,” Newman stated after the race. “It was disappointing and frustrating because I think we had a car that was better than 8th from a speed standpoint especially on the long runs. But the US Army Medicine Chevrolet didn’t get it done tonight and that is why it is frustrating. But I guess when you are frustrated with a top-10, we expect more and that means we are capable of more. We’ll see if we can do that next time.”

Fellow SHR teammate Tony Stewart started in the 18th position but fell outside the top-20 by lap 40 and remained beyond mid-pack for the duration of the race. With his 23rd-place finishing position, the two-time Sprint Cup champion dropped one spot in the point standings falling to the 15th position.

Kyle Busch took the checkered flag claiming his first win of the season and was followed by four-time champion Jeff Gordon. Following Harvick to round out the top-five were Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 8 for some Mother’s Day weekend Saturday night racing. Live coverage of the Showtime Southern 500 will begin at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Hendrick Drivers Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson Bring Home Top-10 Finishes in Richmond, Fellow HMS Teammates Martin and Earnhardt Finish Outside the Top-20

RICHMOND, VA (May 1, 2010) – Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon scored a runner-up finish in Saturday’s Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway while fellow HMS teammate Jimmie Johnson finished in the 10th spot. Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished further behind in the 25th and 32nd spots respectively.

Gordon led three times for 144 laps but couldn’t hold off the eventual race winner, Kyle Busch, on the final restart in the closing laps.

“Well it was a heck of a night for us. Kyle (Busch) was just the class of the field there early and I don’t know what happened to him, he started falling backwards,” commented Gordon following the 400-lap event. “We had some issues at that same time. We were able to maintain and then get the lead from Burton and then pulled. I knew I didn’t want to see cautions. Our car was not really very good on restarts, but, we were able to get a couple of good ones.”

After starting in the third spot, Johnson fell back a little having to settle for the 10th finishing position before making contact with another competitor on the final lap and going for a spin.

Both Martin and Earnhardt, Jr. struggled finishing further back in the field. Martin took the checkered flag in the 25th position while Earnhardt suffered a cut tire and finished 32nd.

Johnson fell one spot in the point standing and now sits in the second position 10 markers behind the leader. Gordon’s runner-up finish advanced him four positions into the sixth spot while Martin and Earnhardt both lost spots and sit 10th and 13th.

Kyle Busch took the checkered flag claiming his first win of the season and was followed by Gordon. Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 8 for some Mother’s Day weekend Saturday night racing. Live coverage of the Showtime Southern 500 will begin at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Two-Tire Call Helped Gain Track Position for Run to Checkered Flag

AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 11, 2010) – Ryan Newman ended a 77-race drought Saturday night by winning the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway. Stewart-Haas teammate, Tony Stewart finished 23rd for the evening.

Newman started from the 14th spot and spent most of the race in or right outside the top-10 running positions. It was a late-race caution with three laps remaining that set up the dramatic finish. Newman’s team elected to take on only two tires that put him in the second-spot for the restart. With the leader spinning his tires on the final restart, Newman grabbed the lead and took the checkered flag .130 seconds ahead of the next car.

"I thought we had a good car in practice, but I've got to thank Tornados for coming on board and helping us out with what Tony Stewart and everybody at Stewart-Haas Racing has given us an opportunity with,” commented Newman from Victory Lane. “I’ve got to thank the fans and Sprint and Chevrolet and Coca-Cola and U.S. Army. Man we've been working so hard for those guys to get into Victory Lane and everybody at Haas Automation. It's been a long time coming for me to get in Victory Lane. I'm missing my mom and dad right now. They're back home taking care of my grandfather. Man I couldn't believe it. I saw the white flag and I'm like, I ain't got that far to go!"

Newman’s victory was his 14th Sprint Cup Series win.

Tony Stewart, Newman’s teammate, had a strong start running as high as the third position but fell out of the top-10 by lap 160 and struggled the rest of the race.

With his victory, Newman gained six spots in the points moving into the 16th position while Stewart remains in the top-12.

Following Newman were Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin. Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Live green-flag coverage will begin on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (E.T.) on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and Sirius/XM Satellite radio at 2:00 p.m. (E.T.)

All Four Hendrick Cars Finish in the Top-12

AVONDALE, Ariz. (April 11, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon finished second in Saturday Night’s running of the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway. Gordon was in the lead on the final restart but spun his tires losing the top spot. Fellow HMS drivers Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin finished just behind Gordon with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing 12th.

Gordon and Johnson both ran in the top-10 most of the night with Johnson leading many laps. Mark Martin broke into the top-10 late in the race while Earnhardt struggled running between the 15th and 20th position.

A late-race caution set up a final dash to the checkered flag with several teams taking on only two tires. Gordon inherited the lead with his two-tire stop but spun those tires on the restart falling back to the second spot.

“Ryan (Newman, race winner) had a good jump on me getting into (turn) 1,” said Gordon. “It was pretty much game over at that point. We had a good car, we were the second-place car, we finished second. I’m still pretty happy and proud of that effort. We made the car better throughout the whole race, and that is something we didn’t do as well last year so real happy with that.”

Johnson led 113 laps during Saturday night’s race but chose to take on four tires during that final stop. Martin took on only two tires and held on for the fourth-place finish. Earnhardt hit a piece of debris on lap 56 causing his team to make repairs throughout the event.

Johnson remains the points leader extending his lead to 36 over second place. Gordon moved up two spots into the fifth position with Junior remaining in the 10th spot. Martin gained four positions moving to just outside the top-12 in the 13th spot.

Ryan Newman took the win at Phoenix with the three Hendrick cars of Gordon, Johnson and Martin following. Juan Pablo Montoya rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Live green-flag coverage will begin on Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (E.T.) on FOX with radio coverage on PRN and Sirius/XM Satellite radio at 2:00 p.m. (E.T.)

Jimmie Johnson Manages to finish just Outside the Top-10 in the 12^th position

HAMPTON, GA (March 7, 2010) – The Hendrick Motorsports teams all struggled throughout Sunday’s running of the Kobalt Tools 500. Tires were a main issue with each of the four teams experiencing problems at different times in the event. Jimmie Johnson was able to muster a 12^th-place finish with Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon finishing in the top-20. Mark Martin was on his way to a solid finish as well before a late-race incident ruined his chances.

Johnson started from the 16^th position but quickly made his way into the top-10. The defending champion spent some time in the lead pack but a vibration late in the race forced him to pit road early getting him out of sequence. Surviving two attempts at a green-white-checker finish, the four-time Sprint Cup Series champion managed to finish just outside the top-10 in the 12^th position.

After starting from the pole, it became evident that the No. 88 of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was struggling with handling issues as he lost several positions in the early stages of the race. Tire problems also affected NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” as he fell a lap down to the leaders. The third-year Hendrick driver was able to work his way back into the top-15 and finished there for the day.

Jeff Gordon had a strong start qualifying his No. 24 DuPont Chevy in the top-five but lost the balance on his car just before the half-way point of the race. Fighting an extremely loose race car the four-time Sprint Cup champion was able to finish 18^th in Sunday’s race.

Fellow Quaker State and veteran driver Mark Martin had a solid run going before a late-race incident took him out of contention. The driver of the No. 5 HMS Chevrolet had a tire go down early in the race but fought back from the mishap to run in the top-10. The accident that occurred on the first attempt of a green-white-checker finish damaged the No. 5 car heavily relegating Martin to a 33^rd-place finish.

Johnson, Martin and Gordon all sit in the top-12 of the Sprint Cup Series driver’s championship point standings. Earnhardt is not far behind knocking on the door of the top-12 while sitting in the 13^th spot.

Kurt Busch took the checkered flag for the win and was followed by Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya. Paul Menard and A.J. Allmendinger rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on Sunday, March 21, 2010. Live coverage of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on Fox with radio coverage beginning at 12:00 p.m. (ET) on PRN and Sirius/XM satellite radio.

LAS VEGAS (Feb. 28, 2010) – Jimmie Johnson wrestled the lead away from teammate Jeff Gordon with 17 laps to go to earn his second straight NASCAR Sprint Cup Series win of the 2010 season and his fourth overall at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday.

Gordon followed Johnson across the finish line in third, and Mark Martin was close behind in fourth. Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished the 267-lap event 16th.

Gordon opened the race from the outside pole position and immediately led the first 52 laps in his No. 24 DuPont/Pepsi Max Chevrolet. Gordon never dropped out of the top three and appeared poised for his first win of the season when Johnson struck in his No. 48 Lowe’s/KOBALT Tools Chevrolet.

Like most of the field, the teammates took advantage of a late-race caution to pick up extra tires and fuel. Gordon’s team put two fresh tires on his Chevrolet, while Johnson took four.

Johnson battled with Gordon and finally slipped by on Lap 251.

“He was really, really good,” said Johnson, who jumped seven spots to fifth in the driver standings. “I guess he got too tight there at the end. Man, I did all I could for the three runs before that, and I had nothing for him. I could get close, then I couldn’t get the pass pulled off. … We had a great race car all day long. I think he really showed the strength of Hendrick (Motorsports’) cars when Jeff and I checked out from everyone.”

Gordon held onto a spot in the top three and led seven times for a race-high 219 laps. The third-place finish catapulted the NASCAR veteran nine spots in the driver standings to 13th, but the finish still was disappointing.

"It is tough,” Gordon said. “We came here to win, and I felt like every decision that we made today on the track and in the pits was to try to win the race. When you are leading sometimes that tough call can go against you. We were thinking more guys were going to take two tires. We aren’t going to beat ourselves up over this one; we had an awesome, awesome DuPont/Pepsi Max Chevrolet. That thing was just strolling today. It was so incredible to be out there driving a car that was that fast and be able to maintain the lead and be able to do the things that we did today. We certainly showed them that we were here. I think that you are going to see a lot more out of us this year."

Martin lined up eighth in his No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet and joined his Hendrick Motorsports teammates in the top five. Martin never dropped any lower than 16th in the field, but really started making a charge during the final 40 laps. Then he climbed from ninth to fourth.

"It was a great finish,” said Martin, who improved three spots in the driver standings to third. “Just a great job by everybody on the GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. I want to thank my buddy Bob Parsons (Go Daddy CEO) and everybody at GoDaddy.com. Awesome race car at the end. We were off a little bit at the beginning; we weren’t prepared for that sunshine and struggled for a long time. Then we got the car good there at the end. Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) and the guys just did a great job. We were pretty competitive there at the last."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. experienced some handling issues with his No. 88 National Guard/AMP Energy Chevrolet and struggled to stay in the top 10 during Sunday’s race. He crossed the finish line 16th and improved one spot to 15th in the driver standings.

Fellow Hendrick Teammate Mark Martin Finishes Fourth in Auto Club 500

FONTANA, CALIF (February 21, 2010) – Two of the four Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teams had solid runs in Sunday’s running of the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Defending champion Jimmie Johnson scored his first win of the season with fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin coming home in fourth. Both Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. experienced problems putting them back further in the finishing order.

Johnson started from the seventh position and quickly worked his way into the top spot by the 30^th lap. The California native dominated the 500-mile race by leading eight different times for a race high 101 laps. Taking the lead for the final time on lap 227, Johnson maintained the first position taking the checkered flag for his first win of the 2010 season and 48^th career victory.

"That is amazing,” commented Johnson on his victory. “I won my first race here and to come back and win my 48th...I can’t thank the fans enough for supporting our great sport and being behind us. It has just been a great nine years and I look forward to see what the future brings."

Fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin also turned in a strong performance finishing fourth in the Auto Club 500. The veteran driver led two times for five laps remaining a solid car throughout the day.

Four-time Sprint Cup champion Jeff Gordon finished 20^th after fighting handling and motor problems throughout the event. The Quaker State driver led one time for 11 laps but struggled with his Chevrolet handling both loose and tight as the weather conditions changed. Late in the event the No. 24 team thought they lost a cylinder in the engine but the motor was able to hang on to the finish.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and the No. 88 team experienced a tough day capped off by breaking an axle while leaving pit road during a green-flag stop. The crew was able to fix the broken part and get NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” back on track to finish the race. Earnhardt finished 32^nd for the day many laps down.

Kevin Harvick followed Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag finishing in the runner-up spot. Jeff Burton finished third in front of Martin with Joey Logano rounding out the top five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Shelby American at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Live television coverage is set to begin at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, February 28 on FOX.
 

Fellow Hendrick Motorsports Teammates Struggle Throughout 500-mile Event

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 14, 2010) – Hendrick Motorsports’ Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a strong showing in the 52^nd running of the Daytona 500 finishing second under the lights in a dramatic end to the “All American Race”. While Earnhardt found success, his fellow teammates struggled throughout the event with various problems.

NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” led one time for a total of four laps but was a contender as the field took the green flag for the final attempt of a green-white-checker finish. Earnhardt shot through the field in the final lap going from the 10^th running position to the second spot in a single lap but was unable to make a move on the race leader and had to settle for the runner-up spot.

Fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin started the event from the pole but quickly lost the handling of his Chevrolet and fell back in the running order. Martin remained mid-pack for the majority of the race breaking back into the top-20 around the half-way point. The veteran driver worked his way toward the top-10 in the final laps ending up 12^th for the day.

Four-time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon struggled with the handling of his car moving back and forth throughout the field. The Quaker State driver led a couple of laps mid-way through the race but found himself deep in the field in the final restart where he made contact with another car sending him spinning and relegating him to a 26^th-place finish.

Defending Champion Jimmie Johnson encountered tire issues throughout the 500-mile event taking him out of contention before the half-way mark of the race. With less than 20 laps remaining in the race, Johnson broke a rear axle sending him behind the wall and out of the race early. The Hendrick driver was credited with the 35^th-finishing position.

Jamie McMurray took the checkered flag for the win followed by Earnhardt and Greg Biffle. Clint Bowyer and David Reutimann rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Live coverage will begin on February 21, 2010 at 3:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX and 2:00 p.m. on MRN Radio.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Feb. 6, 2010) – Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. earned the top two spots during Saturday’s qualifying session at Daytona International Speedway and were joined in the top 10 by their teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon.

Martin, driver of the No. 5 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, toured the 2.5-mile speedway in 47.074 seconds at roughly 191.188 mph to earn the pole position – his first for the Daytona 500. At 51 years old, Martin is the oldest driver to earn the first spot in the season-opening event.

"This is just a great accomplishment for this GoDaddy.com team, Alan Gustafson (crew chief) and all of the guys,” Martin said. “I want to thank Bob Parsons for stepping up to the plate here. It is pretty exciting to have them on board. It is all about the team. That was not accomplishment of mine, it is one of all of our guys on this team. To have Dale, Jr. on the outside of the front row, locked in, just means that we are doing stuff right."

Earnhardt, driver of the No. 88 AMP Energy/National Guard Chevrolet, turned in a time of 47.142 at roughly 190.193 mph to score the outside pole. This is the second time Earnhardt has earned a front-row starting spot in the Daytona 500. He started second in 2003.

“The guys have put together one hell of a race car, and I’m just proud to be able to drive it,” Earnhardt said. “I want to thank AMP Energy and the National Guard and all our sponsors. The team is doing an amazing job building such a great race car. The engine and the body is doing its job just perfectly and we’ve just got to get it up off the race track and that thing will be hard to beat."

Johnson, driver of the No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet, locked up the sixth spot, while Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet posted the 10th-fastest time.

From here, the drivers prepare for Thursday’s Gatorade Duels, which are two 60-lap qualifiers for next weekend’s Daytona 500. Martin and Earnhardt are locked into the front row for the Great American race, and each gets the pole in a qualifying event. Martin will start from the top spot in the first Duel, while Earnhardt will start first in the second one.

The rest of the field in each race is set according to the 2009 owner points. Odd-numbered owner points positions start in the first race, while even-numbered owners compete in the second. The outcome of these events determines the remainder of the field for the Daytona 500, which means Johnson and Gordon have a chance to improve upon their Saturday qualifying efforts. Last year, Gordon won his Gatorade Duel to score the third starting spot.

Johnson and Gordon will participate in the first Gatorade Duel starting fourth and seventh, respectively.

Race coverage of Thursday’s Gatorade Duels will begin at 2 p.m. ET on SPEED.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Finishes Just Outside the Top-10 in 11^th

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 8, 2010) – The 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup season got under way this past weekend with the season’s first event at Daytona International Speedway. The annual running of the Budweiser Shootout took place on Saturday evening under the lights of the 2.5-mile legendary track. Coming off a strong season in 2009, the four Hendrick Motorsports teams looked forward to starting the 2010 season on a positive note to continue their success into the new season.

The HMS stable had mixed results from the eventful race that ended with a green-white-checker finish.

Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon drove his DuPont Chevrolet to a top-10 finish taking the checkered flag in the sixth spot after started in the 23^rd position.

"Oh, man, just a green-white-checkered flag race and the DuPont Chevrolet was good,” commented Gordon. “I got myself in position there a couple of times to where I really thought we might have a shot at it. And then I got shuffled back. I was pretty disappointed.”

Fellow Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had a decent night crossing the start-finish line just outside the top-10 with an 11^th-place run.

"We were not very fast in practice with this car, and it was not very strong in the race,” Earnhardt said following the event.  “We’ll just try to bring a better chassis to the next Shootout."

Defending and four-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson finished 13^th while fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin scored a 20th-place run after being involved in an accident.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series continues at the Daytona International Speedway with the Gatorade Duel qualifying races on Thursday, February 11^th. Live action begins at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on SPEED and 1:00 p.m. on MRN Radio. The Series will officially kick off its season on Sunday, February 14^th with the running of the Daytona 500. Live coverage of the first event of the 2010 season will begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX and 12:00 p.m. on MRN Radio.

Johnson Makes His Mark in NASCAR History by Claiming his Fourth Consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship

HOMESTEAD, FL (November 22, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson etched his way into the NASCAR history books today by finishing fifth in the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. With his finish, the Quaker State driver claimed a record-setting fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title. Johnson finished the 36-race season with a 141-point lead over Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin.

"Just amazed, I mean I’ve been trying to chase this out of my head and what this might mean to me after the disappointment at Texas,” commented Johnson. “So it is going to take a little while for those things to jump start in my mind and get going again. Just so proud of the effort. Really think of how much I love this sport, how much I respect this sport. The greats before, how they have carried this sport on their backs and made it what it is and then to do something none of them have done, it is unbelievable man. I grew up on two wheels in the dirt. I had no clue I was going to end up here racing stock cars and doing something that had never been done before."

Fellow Quaker State drivers Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon finished second and third in the point standings as both drivers contended for the title throughout the 2009 season. The one-two-three finish marked the first time in NASCAR history that a team took the top-three spots in the final championship point standings.

Johnson started the weekend off by earning his fourth pole of the season. He only needed to finish 25^th or better and once he led a lap to earn those five bonus points he only had to finish 27^th or better. The defending champ took the lead two separate times and for 28 total laps. He remained in the top-10 for much of the event except for a pit sequence to pull out his historic run for a fourth consecutive championship.

Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martina and Jeff Gordon also had solid nights finishing sixth and twelfth respectively. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 28^th.

Johnson and the entire No. 48 Lowe’s/Quaker State team will be honored Friday, December 4 at the Wynn in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Three-Time Champ is Poised to Claim Record-Setting Fourth Championship

AVONDALE, AZ (November 15, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team bounced back from a dismal finish one week ago in Texas and dominated Sunday’s Sprint Cup event at Phoenix International Raceway to claim their seventh victory of the season. In addition the three-time champ put himself in position to claim his fourth consecutive Sprint Cup title going into the season’s final event. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon both had solid runs finishing in the top-10 while Dale Earnhardt Jr. had another difficult day finishing 35^th.

After taking the lead for the first time on lap 53, Johnson led four different times for 238 laps. With his strong showing he also extended his points lead to 108 over fellow teammate Mark Martin. With the strong lead, Johnson only has to finish 25^th or better in next week’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Fellow HMS teammate Mark Martin did what he could by finishing fourth. Jeff Gordon also had a solid run finishing ninth, his 24^th top-10 finish of the season and the most of any competitor. The duo continues to hold down their respective point positions sitting second and third going into the final race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had another rough day after being involved in an on-track incident that sent him behind the wall for repairs. His team got him back on track to finish 35^th several laps down to the leaders. Junior dropped one position in the point standings and now sits in the 24^th spot.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Florida will take the green flag Sunday, November 22 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 2:45 p.m. (EDT). 

Veteran Driver Closes the Gap on Points Leader Jimmie Johnson after Three-Time Champ Finds Trouble

FT. WORTH, TX (November 8, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin capitalized on teammate Jimmie Johnson’s misfortune in Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway. Martin finished fourth and moved to within 73 points of Johnson with two races remaining in the season. Johnson finished 38^th after a lap-three mishap that sent him to the garage for over 100 laps for repairs. Fellow HMS teammate Jeff Gordon finished 13^th while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a solid run spoiled after he ran out of gas in the closing laps.

Martin had a solid, consistent run spending most of the day racing in the top-10. He was able to make it to the end on fuel while many others ran out of gas finishing the 334-lap race in the fourth position, his 13^th top-five finish of the season.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon had a strong car at the beginning of the race after starting from the pole but lost some track position after a problem on pit road. Gordon’s car went away in the middle of the event dropping him back to the 18^th position, where he ran most of the day. However, the No. 24 team played the fuel strategy to their advantage and Gordon was able to muster a top-15 finish taking the checkered flag in the 13^th spot.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started in the top-10 and remained there for the entirety of the race until the very end. He quickly moved into the top-five and had a solid run going until he ran out of fuel in the closing laps costing him valuable track position. Junior lost several laps trying to get the car to pit road and ended up 25^th for the day.

Fellow HMS teammate and point leader Jimmie Johnson was involved in a lap-three incident that heavily damaged the No. 48 Chevrolet after he made heavy contact with both the outside and inside retaining walls. Johnson pulled his machine behind the wall and the No. 48 crew worked diligently for over an hour to make repairs to get their driver back on track. The three-time champ was credited with a 38^th-place finish for the day.

With his misfortune, Johnson’s lead shrank to just 73 markers over second-place Mark Martin. Gordon remains third in the standings just 112 points out of first with two races remaining in the season.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 presented by Pennzoil at Phoenix International Raceway in Goodyear, Arizona will take the green flag Sunday, November 17 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 2:45 p.m. (EDT). 
 

Hendrick Motorsports Driver Extends Points Lead with Three Races Remaining

TALLADEGA, AL (November 1, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson survived a late-race multi-car incident to finish sixth in Sunday’s running of the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Fellow Hendrick driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished just outside the top-10 in the 11^th position while both Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin were involved in the final lap melee.

Johnson started from the pole after Saturday’s qualifying session was rained out but immediately went to the rear of the field. He remained at the back of the pack for much of the day trying to avoid any trouble on the track. The three-time champion began to work his way to the front of the field in the closing laps and was sitting in the 24^th position with 20 laps remaining. A violent wreck on lap 184 brought the field to a halt and upon the restart several cars hit pit road for fuel gaining Johnson several spots. A last-lap wreck gained the points leader additional spots allowing him to finish in the top-10.

Fellow HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also had a solid run leading the event five different times for nine laps. Earnhardt spent a large portion of the scheduled 188-lap event in the top-10 before finishing in the 11^th position.

Both Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin also had decent runs going before being involved in the final lap wreck. Both took turns leading the race and were running in the top-10 before having to duck on pit road for a splash a fuel as the race neared its end. During the green-white-checker finish both were unable to avoid the “big one” with Martin’s car getting airborne. Gordon finished 20^th with Martin being credited with a 28^th-place finish.

Johnson extended his points lead to 184 over second-place Mark Martin. Jeff Gordon remains third while Earnhardt gained a spot moving into the 23^rd position.

Jamie McMurray took the checkered flag for the win and was followed by Kasey Kahne and Joey Logano. Greg Biffle and Jeff Burton rounded out the top-five.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas will take the green flag Sunday, November 8 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 2:30 p.m. (EDT). 

Quaker State Drivers Continue to Hold Down Top Three Positions in Point Standings with Four Races Remaining

MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 25, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports continued its dominance at Martinsville Speedway in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Series points leader Jimmie Johnson finished in the runner-up spot with fellow HMS teammates Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin scoring top-10 finishes as well. Johnson maintains the points lead with Martin and Gordon rounding out the top-three positions.

Johnson struggled a little in qualifying putting his No. 48 Chevrolet in the 15^th starting position. However it did not take long for the three-time and defending champion to break into the top-five and take over the lead. Johnson held the lead five times for a total of 164 laps before having to settle for the second position late in the race.

Four-time Champion Jeff Gordon earned the outside pole and held a top-five position early in the 500-lap event. However the driver of the No. 24 Chevrolet fell further back in the field during the mid portion of the race before working his way back into the top-10 to finish fifth while Mark Martin turned in a solid run by remaining in the top-10 for the entire race before settling for an eighth-place finish.

Fellow HMS teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a rough day fighting tire problems that dropped him laps behind early in the race. However, NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver was able to gain his laps back with the Lucky Dog pass only to fall victim to another blown tire that relegated him back into the field once again. Earnhardt finished 29^th two laps down to the leaders.

Johnson extended his points lead to 118 over second-place Mark Martin with Gordon remaining third in the point standings with just four races left in the season.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for the win in the Tums Fast Relief 500 with Johnson and Juan Pablo Montoya in second and third. Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is race number seven of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Flag-to-flag coverage of the AMP Energy 500 at Talladega Superspeedway in Talladega, Alabama will take the green flag Sunday, November 1 beginning at 12:00 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 12:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Quaker State Driver Increases Points Lead to 90 with Five Races Remaining

CONCORD, NC (October 17, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson captured his sixth win of the season in Saturday night’s running of the Banking 500 only from Bank of America at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. In addition the defending Sprint Cup Champion increased his points lead to 90 markers with just five races remaining in the season.

Once again Johnson led the most laps of any competitor taking the top spot five different times for 92 circuits. The three-time champion remained in the top-five running positions for the entire 334 laps before taking the checkered flag and scoring the win.

"So special me getting the win at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in the Lowe’s car in the final race here at the speedway, the sponsorship,” Johnson said from Victory Lane. “What a big day for the overall spectrum. So, just awesome. 

"The perfect weekend which is what Chad (Knaus) always wanted to do. Win every practice, qualifying and the race and we got it."

Fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon also continued a strong campaign in pursuit of his fifth championship. Gordon finished fourth after leading 64 laps and advanced two positions in the point standings moving into the third spot.

Both Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had trouble on Saturday night. Martin was able to salvage his run finishing 17^th but Earnhardt, Jr. experienced mechanical problems sending him behind the wall. Junior was able to complete the race but was 30 laps down to the leader crossing the start/finish line in the 38^th position.

Martin maintained his second-place position in the point standings while Earnhardt remains in the 22^nd position.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia will take the green flag Sunday, October 25 beginning at 1:00 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 12:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Three-Time Champ Takes over the Points Lead with Six Races Remaining in the Season

FONTANA, CA (October 11, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson and the No. 48 Lowe’s team scored their fifth victory of the 2009 season by leading 126 of the 250 laps in Sunday’s running of the Pepsi 500 at California Speedway. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports drivers Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin also finished in the top-five while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spent a lot of time in the top-10 before a late-race incident ended his day early.

Johnson, who is gunning for a record-setting fourth consecutive championship, dominated the race leading the most laps and earning 10 bonus points. He was on the point more than 10 different times and fought through some pit road issues early in the race to take the win. Johnson’s win also marked his 16^th career Chase victory.

"It is such a long race and so much takes place,” commented Johnson on the pit road trouble. “I knew on pit road that you win some and lose some. Just a solid day all along. I’m so proud of this Lowe’s team. I’m so thankful to Lowe’s for allowing me to put the foundation on the side of the car and we had store 2712 riding with us today so it’s nice to do that for them. Man what an awesome car and what an awesome day. Those cautions at the end really had me nervous. I just didn’t know what to do on the restarts. The No. 24 would get me on some of them. The No. 42 was racing.

"I knew once we had three or four laps I was in good shape but there at the end I really didn’t have many laps. I’m glad I got a good start and got going."

Fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon took the runner-up position scoring his 14^th top-five finish of the season with Mark Martin earning his 12^th top-five finish of the year. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a decent run spoiled by a multi-car accident late in the race that brought out the red flag for over 20 minutes. The lap 246 melee took out several cars running in the top-ten.

Johnson took over the points lead with six races remaining in the season. Mark Martin fell to the second position with Jeff Gordon gaining two spots and moving into the fifth spot. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains in the 22^nd position.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the NASCAR Banking 500 only by Bank of America at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina will take the green flag Saturday, October 17 beginning at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 6:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Mark Martin Extends Points Lead with Seven Races Remaining

KANSAS CITY, KS (October 4, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports had a strong showing once again in Sunday’s running of the Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway. Jeff Gordon was the highest finishing HMS car taking the checker flag in the runner-up position. Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson also finished in the top-10.

Gordon started the day in the ninth position and fought handling issues early in the event. However his No. 24 crew was able to make the proper adjustments and get him into the top-five where he raced through a good portion of the 267-lap race. Gordon had a strong Chevrolet in the closing laps as well but ran out of time to challenge for the lead and settled for the second position.

Mark Martin started the weekend off by earning his seventh pole position of the season. He led the first 11 laps of the race before falling back a few positions. However the veteran driver remained in the top-10 for the entire race and finished in the seventh position.

Fellow HMS driver Jimmie Johnson also fought some slight handling issues after starting in the 11^th position but was able to take the lead several times. After leading 53 laps, the Quaker State driver crossed the start-finish line in the ninth position.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was running in the top-10 and led for 41 laps before a pit road penalty put him a lap down. It was late in the event when Junior experienced a mechanical failure ending his day early. He was credited with the 36^th finishing position.

Mark Martin extended his points lead over Jimmie Johnson as the pair remains first and second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Jeff Gordon moved up one position to the seventh spot with just seven races remaining. Despite his troubles, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. maintained his 22^nd place position in the standings as well.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California will take the green flag Sunday, October 11 beginning at 2:30 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 3:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Three-Time Champ is on track to Earn Record-Setting Fourth Consecutive Title

DOVER, DE (September 27, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday’s running of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway to claim his fourth win of the season and 44^th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin finished in the runner-up spot with Jeff Gordon coming home sixth. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled throughout the 400-mile race to finish 20^th one lap down to the leaders.

Johnson started the weekend off by earning the pole for the 400-lap event. He led the first 27 laps retaking the lead at lap 149. He took the top spot for the final time on lap 176 and ended up leading a race high 271 laps. His win also moved him closer to points leader Mark Martin trailing him only by 10 markers.

"It was just an awesome race car, awesome day,” stated Johnson. “I can’t thank all the Lowe’s employees for all of their support. We had the race for relief program on the deck lid and want to point out that Lowe’s is going to donate more money now that we would. So a lot of great things for us. The fans were great cheering me in when my engine was broken trying to here to victory lane. I am just so happy we had a maximum points day today, that is what we needed to do."

Martin finished in the runner-up spot and maintained the points lead with only eight races remaining on the schedule. Jeff Gordon gained positions in the point standings moving up two spots to the eighth position with his sixth-place run.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a rough outing in Dover going a lap down before regaining it late in the race with the “Lucky Dog” pass. However the Quaker State driver fell a lap down again and finished 20^th for the day. Earnhardt lost a spot in the point standings and now sits in the 22^nd position.

Following Johnson and Martin were Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya. Kurt Busch rounded out the top-five.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the Price Chopper 400 presented by Kraft Foods at Kansas Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, October 4 beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 1:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Veteran Driver Maintains Points Lead with Nine Races Remaining in the Season

LOUDON, N.H. (September 20, 2009) – The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series headed to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for the first event of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup. Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin was able to pull out the win claiming his fifth victory of the season. Fellow HMS teammate Jimmie Johnson scored a fourth-place finish while Jeff Gordon fought handling problems late in the race and Dale Earnhardt Jr. fell victim to a late-race incident.

Martin started the Sylvania 300 in the 14^th position and took the lead late in the event. He led two different times for a total of 68 laps before taking the checkered flag for his fifth win of the 2009 season. With his win, Martin maintained the lead in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings as well.

“Alan (Gustafson, crew chief) won that race -- that’s all I got to say,” commented an elated Martin from Victory Lane. “He took a driver that can’t drive Loudon and put a set-up in it that we could run along reasonable. Just like I said before the race, if they can stumble around and get me in the front then I might be able to stay there with it. That’s what we did, but it was sure tough.”

Jimmie Johnson’s fourth-place finish moved him up into the second position in the point standings as he goes for a record-setting fourth consecutive championship. Fellow Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon has a strong car at the beginning of the race but the handling went away causing the four-time champ to lose many positions on the track before finishing 15^th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. also had a solid run going and was running in the top-five when another car made contact with him late in race sending him hard into the outside wall. He was able to drive the car back to the garage but unable to return to green-flag racing.

Gordon slipped to the 10^th position in the point standings while Earnhardt maintained his 23^rd position.

Behind Martin were Denny Hamlin and Juan Pablo Montoya finishing second and third Kyle Busch rounded out the top-five.

Flag-to-flag coverage of the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway will take the green flag Sunday, Sept. 27 beginning at 1 p.m. (EDT) on ABC.  The race will also be broadcast on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio beginning at 1:15 p.m. (EDT). 

Martin Earns Number One Seed Going into the Chase for the Sprint Cup with Johnson Sitting Third and Gordon Seeded in the Sixth Position

RICHMOND, VA (September 13, 2009) - Both Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin had solid runs in Saturday night’s running of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond International Raceway earning top-five finishes in the final race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts. Fellow Quaker State driver Jimmie Johnson also had a strong showing remaining in the top-10 for most of the race before falling behind in the closing laps of the 300-mile event.

Martin started the weekend out on a high note earning his sixth pole of the season. After leading the first three circuits the Quaker State driver settled into the top-five where he remained for the duration of the event before finishing fourth. With bonus points from his four wins throughout the first 26 races, Martin took over the top spot in the points earning the number one seed going into the Chase for the Championship.

Fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon had a solid performance leading five times for 97 laps while remaining in the top-10 during the entire 400-lap race before finishing third. Jimmie Johnson’s Chevrolet started out running well but the handling went away in the closing laps of the event causing him to fall out of the top-10 and finish 11^th for the evening.

Quaker State teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. spent some time in the top-10 as well before the handling of his No. 88 Chevrolet went away causing him to lose track position and finish 21^st.

Three of the four Quaker State drivers berthed spots in the Chase with Martin in the points lead while Johnson ended up in the third position and Gordon in the sixth seed. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains in the 21^st position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings with 10 races remaining in the season.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag first earning his second win of the season and was followed by Kurt Busch and Gordon. Following Martin in fourth was Kyle Busch rounding out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the first race of the 10-race Chase to the Sprint Cup. Live coverage of the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will begin on Sunday, September 20, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on ABC with radio coverage started at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on PRN and Sirius-XM Satellite radio.

Johnson has Strong Run Spoiled by Broken Axle, Finishes 36^th

HAMPTON, GA (September 7, 2009) – Mark Martin ran in the top-10 for all 325 laps in Sunday night’s running of the Pep Boys Auto 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. His consistent run earned him a top-five finish while Hendrick teammate Jeff Gordon fought handling issues to finish eighth. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started deep in the field but worked his way into the top 10 before finishing 17^th with Jimmie Johnson having a solid run going before breaking an axle that sent him behind the wall relegating him to a 36^th-place finish.

After starting in the seventh position, Martin remained just outside the top-five running positions for the first half of the race. It was later in the 500-mile event that the veteran driver broke into the top-five where he remained for the duration of the event before finishing fifth.

HMS teammate Jeff Gordon qualified in the fourth position but a loose handling condition dropped him in the field early in the race. The No. 24 team was able to rebound as Gordon regained his position in the top-10 and remained there for the duration of the event. The four-time Sprint Cup champion took the checkered flag in the eighth position.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started deep in the field in the 31^st position working his way into the top-10 by lap 160. Earnhardt remained in the front of the field until the closing laps of the race when his car fell off dropping him out of the top-15. NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver” wound up 17^th for the night.

With a second-row starting position, Jimmie Johnson took the lead early in the event leading twice for a total of 17 laps. It was late in the race when the No. 48 suffered a broken axle sending Johnson behind the wall for repairs. With the repairs Johnson fell off the pace loosing many laps and finishing in the 36^th position.

With Johnson’s trouble he fell one position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship standings switching places with teammate Jeff Gordon. Gordon now sits second with Johnson third as both drivers secured positions in the Chase for the Sprint Cup with one race remaining before the start of the 10-race run to the championship. Mark Martin remains 10^th in the point standings and will go into Richmond next week battling for a spot in the top-12. Earnhardt also maintained his points position in the 21^st spot after Sunday night’s run.

Kasey Kahne took the win in Atlanta and was followed by Kevin Harvick and Juan Pablo Montoya. David Reutimann along with Mark Martin rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the final race before the Chase for the Sprint Cup starts. Live television coverage of the Chevy Rock & Roll 400 from Richmond International Raceway begins on Saturday, September 12 on ABC at 7:00 p.m. (ET) with radio coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. (ET) on MRN and Sirius-XM Satellite radio.

Quaker State Driver Finished Second after Starting from the Pole

BRISTOL, TN (August 23, 2009) – Mark Martin dominated Saturday night’s running of the Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway by leading 240 of the 500 laps before finishing in the runner-up spot. HMS teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. both scored top-10 runs with Jeff Gordon struggling to finish 23^rd one lap down to the leaders.

Martin started from the pole, his fifth of the season, and led five different times for the most laps after running in the top-five for the entire event. The veteran driver put on a great battle in the closing laps trying to take away the top-spot but had to settle for the second position as he marked his 1000^th NASCAR National Series start.

"I wanted to get him, but there wasn’t any use in, you know; we were racing hard for it,” commented Martin on his late-race battle for the lead. “I got in under him. He gave me plenty of room and it was a good thing because I got sideways and slid right up and it was a good thing that he didn’t crowd me or we’d have both wrecked. I tried to get him. But I’m real proud of Pop Tarts and CARQUEST and everybody. I’d like to have won it, but we finally got a decent finish with a great race car and no matter how this thing falls, I’m proud of this race team. I’m proud to drive their car and I’m having the time of my life."

Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson had a strong car for most of the evening leading 107 laps but a pit road mishap late in the race caused the Quaker State driver to lose valuable track position. Making several stops for fresh tires, the California native was able to power his way back into the top-10 and finish eighth.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. backed up a solid run from a week ago with another strong finish coming home in the ninth position.  The HMS driver ran mid-pack for the first half of the race before moving into the top 10 in the final 100 laps.

Jeff Gordon started in the rear of the field but quickly made his way toward the front breaking into the top-10 by lap 200. The handling on the No. 24 Chevrolet went away about half-way through the event causing the four-time champion to lose a lap and finish 23^rd.

Gordon and Johnson swapped points positions again with Johnson taking the second spot back. Martin improved his points position moving up two spots to the 10^th position. Earnhardt remains 21^st with just two races left before the start of the Chase.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on Sunday, September 6 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Live Television coverage begins at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN with radio coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius/XM Satellite radio.

Johnson and Martin Have Strong Runs Spoiled by Fuel Mileage

BROOKLYN, MI (August 16, 2009) – The Hendrick Motorsports teams all had strong runs in Sunday’s running of the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin both ran up front for the majority of the 300-lap event before running out of fuel in the final laps. Jeff Gordon who also spent most of the day in the top-five was able to stretch his fuel to finish second while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. used pit strategy to gain track position and finish third for the day.

Johnson who led a race high 133 laps remained in the top-five for most of the event. It was with only three laps remaining that the three-time champion ran out of fuel and had to duck onto pit road for a splash of gas. Johnson ended up in the 33^rd position one lap down to the leaders.

Martin had a similar day to Johnson as he started the race on the outside pole and took the lead on the first lap. The Quaker State driver led four different times for 26 laps before running out of fuel on the white-flag lap. The veteran driver ended up in the 31^st position.

Jeff Gordon had a strong showing breaking into the top-five by lap 60 and remaining in the top-10 for much of the remaining laps of the race. Gordon was able to put himself in position to gain a few spots with others running out of gas in the closing stages and took the runner-up spot.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled through the first half of the race but his team used pit strategy to gain their driver valuable track position. It wasn’t until late in the race that the Quaker State driver made his way into the top-10 before working his way into the third spot where he took the checkered flag.

Gordon and Johnson swapped positions in the point standings and remain second and third with Gordon taking over the runner-up spot. Mark Martin dropped to the 12^th position and sits 12 points ahead of the 13^th spot. Earnhardt jumped up four positions with his top-five run and now sits 21^st after 23 of 36 races.

Brian Vickers crossed the start-finish line first earning his second career Sprint Cup win. Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. followed finishing second and third with Carl Edwards and Sam Hornish, Jr. rounding out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Sharpie 500 at the high-banked ½-mile oval of Bristol Motor Speedway. Live Coverage of racing action will begin on Saturday, August 22, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on ESPN along with radio coverage on MRN/Sirius-XM Satellite Radio at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

Johnson Finishes 12^th with Gordon and Earnhardt Receiving Extensive Damage in Separate Incidents

WATKINS GLEN, NY (August 10, 2009) – The Hendrick Motorsports teams experienced a tough day in Monday’s running of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen in the season’s second and final road course event. Johnson was the highest finishing HMS car with a 12^th-place run while fellow Quaker State driver Mark Martin struggled throughout the weekend bringing his No. 5 Chevrolet home to a 23^rd-place finish. Both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon were involved in incidents that ended their day early.

For the second week in a row Mother Nature postponed the race from Sunday to Monday. Johnson took the green flag from the pole, his first on a road course, under deep blue skies. The three-time champion led one time for four laps but fell off late in the race to finish 12^th.

Mark Martin and the No. 5 HMS team struggled all weekend looking for speed. After starting in the 28^th position the veteran driver ran mid-pack for most of the day before taking the checkered flag in the 23^rd position.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was also running mid-pack before he had a brake failure that sent him hard into the tire barrier on lap 43 causing extensive damage to the front end of the No. 88 Chevy. The crew was able to make enough repairs to get NASCAR’s most popular driver back on track and finish 39^th for the day.

Fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon started from deep in the field but was able to pick off several positions through the first portion of the 90-lap event. However, the four-time champion was involved in a tremendous crash on lap 64 that damaged his Chevy beyond repair. Gordon was credited with the 37^th finishing position.

Johnson remains second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings with Gordon maintaining his third position. Mark Martin lost one spot falling to 11^th with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. losing two positions dropping to the 25^th spot.

Tony Stewart won the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen with Marcos Ambrose and Carl Edwards finishing second and third. Kyle Busch and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Carfax 400 at Michigan International Speedway. Live Coverage of racing action will begin on Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN along with radio coverage on MRN/Sirius-XM Satellite Radio at 1:15 p.m. (ET).

Mechanical Problems Drop Johnson out of Contention

LONG POND, PA (August 3, 2009) – Both Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon has solid performances in Monday’s running of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway finishing in the top-10. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson was strong in the early stages of the race but mechanical issues dropped him out of contention and put him several laps down. The No. 48 team fought back and returned to the lead lap late in the race to finish 13^th.

With qualifying cancelled because of rain, both Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon had solid starting positions for Monday’s Sprint Cup race in Pocono. Starting from the front of the field Johnson took the lead and stayed on the point for the first 22 laps of the 200-lap event. It was at the half-way point of the race that the three-time champion began to have mechanical problems that dropped him in the field. After many trips down the pit lane and loosing several laps, the Chad Knaus led team figured out the problem and got Johnson’s car back to full power. With the help of several caution flags, Johnson was able to gain a spot back on the lead lap late in the race and finish in the 13^th position.

"I don’t know yet but I assume it was a spark plug issue,” Johnson commented about the mechanical issue. “That’s the last thing we started changing. The car started running better so it’s just crazy how sometimes a little part like that can go wrong. I know our guys will look closely at it to make sure that something like that doesn’t happen again. I’m just so proud of the fight this race team has. For us to come back from three laps down and get back on the lead lap and salvage a 13th-place finish means a lot to me. I think we are going in the right direction and it shows to me what my team is capable of and I know what I’m capable of going into the Chase."

Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon both had solid runs with Martin taking the lead at one point for 10 laps before finishing seventh. Gordon also stayed up front for much of the race before settling for an eighth-place finish.

Fellow HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled throughout the event but was able to break into the top-10 late in the race before falling off and finishing in the 28^th spot.

Johnson remains second in the point standings with Gordon right behind him in the third spot. Martin dropped to the 10th position with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also losing a position falling to the 23^rd spot.

Denny Hamlin took the checkered flag for the win and was followed by Juan Pablo Montoya and Clint Bowyer. Sam Hornish, Jr. and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at the 2.45-mile road course of Watkins Glen International in Watkins Glen, New York. Coverage of live racing action will begin on Sunday, August 9, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN with radio coverage on MRN/XM-Sirius Satellite radio at 1:15 p.m.

Fellow Hendrick Teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon Score Top-10 Finishes

SPEEDWAY, IN (July 26, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson scored his third win at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Sunday’s running of the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Johnson also became the first back-to-back winner in NASCAR competition at the historic track. Fellow HMS driver Mark Martin finished second with Jeff Gordon taking the checkered flag in the ninth position. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was credited with a 36th-place finish after losing an engine at lap 127.

After starting in the 16th position Johnson quickly made his way into the top-10 taking over the eighth position by lap 10. Breaking into the top-five just a few laps leader, the three-time and defending champion took the lead with 24 laps remaining in the 400-mile event. Johnson remained on the point after a close battle with fellow teammate Mark Martin earning his third victory of the 2009 season.

"That was unbelievable,” said Johnson. “I hope the fans enjoyed that race. I can’t say enough about this race team and all of Hendrick Motorsports. It was a fun battle with my teammate Mark Martin. It’s great to work with him and work with Alan (Gustafson) and work with all my teammates at Hendrick Motorsports. “

"Those last 15-20 laps we had to drive it so hard to stay ahead of the five,” continued Johnson. “I was better in (turns) three and four than he was and he had me beat in (turns) one and two and it was kind of a give and take thing that was going on. Luckily we held him off."

Martin, who earned his fourth pole of the season, led the first four laps of the 160-lap event. He remained in the second spot for virtually the rest of the race before retaking the lead on lap 127. Falling to his teammate on a late-race restart, the veteran battled for the No. 1 spot in the closing laps but had to settle for the runner-up finish. Fellow Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon battled from deep in the field to earn a top-10 finish bringing his DuPont Chevrolet home to a ninth-place finish.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a strong qualifying effort starting Sunday’s race from the third position and running in the top-10 until his engine expired on lap 127 sending him to the garage and out of the race.

With his win, Johnson took over the second position in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings with Gordon falling to third. Martin gained two spots with his second-place finish with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. losing one position falling to the 21st spot.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway. Coverage of live racing action will begin on Sunday, August 2, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN with radio coverage on MRN/XM-Sirius Satellite radio at 1:15 p.m.

Gordon Brings Home a Second–Place Finish with Johnson Earning a Top–10 Run

JOLIET, ILL (July 11, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports driver Mark Martin won Saturday night’s running of the LifeLock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway after leading 195 of the 267 laps. Fellow Quaker State teammate Jeff Gordon finished in the runner–up spot with Jimmie Johnson coming home in eighth. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 15th after turning in a solid and consistent run.

"I want to thank CARQUEST, Kellogg’s and Chevrolet, Sprint, Rick Hendrick and his race team," said Martin from Victory Lane after claiming his fourth win of the season. "That was fun! That’s what life’s all about right there. These guys deserve to win. We could have parked the car yesterday with an hour left in practice."

Jeff Gordon started from the seventh position and raced in the top–10 for the majority of the event before taking on fresh tires in the closing stages of the race. The new tires allowed the Quaker State driver to make a run for the lead before finishing second.

Johnson also had a strong car taking the lead early but a problem on pit road dropped him several spots and out of the lead. The driver of the No. 48 Chevy remained in the top–five until the end of the race before finishing eighth.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a solid run in Saturday night’s event before adjustments late in the race made the handling of his car go away. Junior raced in the top–10 several times before settling for a 15th–place finish.

Jeff Gordon remains second in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings with Jimmie Johnson maintaining his third–place position. Mark Martin’s win pushed him back into the top–12 where he now sits 11th. Dale Junior also remained in the same spot occupying the 21st position with seven races remaining before the start of the Chase.

Following Martin and Gordon was Kasey Kahne and Tony Stewart finishing third and fourth. Denny Hamlin rounded out the top–five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a weekend off before heading to Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana for the running of the Brickyard 400. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, July 26, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) on ESPN. The event will also be broadcast live on IMS Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. (ET).

Martin, Gordon and Earnhardt Finish Further Back in the Field After Trouble

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 4, 2009) -- Jimmie Johnson finished second to lead his Hendrick Motorsports/Quaker State teammates at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night. Johnson survived a wild finish that involved numerous cars crashing coming to the finish line on the final lap of the 400 lap race at Daytona.

Johnson, started third, for the 160-lap event. He remains third in the driver standings, trailing teammate Jeff Gordon by 14 points.

"It was a great race car," Johnson said. "We haven’t been this strong in Daytona in a long time, and I am really proud of the hard work my team has put in this chassis. The guys did a great job of setting this car up, and I am very impressed with this.”

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., driver of the No. 88 National Guard "Serving America"/AMP Energy Chevrolet, were involved in a multi-car accident on Lap 76. Gordon, who started from the outside pole position, finished 28th. Earnhardt, who started 19th, finished 39th.

Mark Martin, driver of the No. 5 CARQUEST/Kellogg’s Impala SS, now ranks 13th in the standings after finishing 38th. Martin was involved in a multi-car crash early in the day, but his team worked to fix his No. 5 Chevrolet and he returned to the track.

The next race on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule is the LifeLock.com 400 from Chicagoland Speedway. The race will take the green flag Saturday, July 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Race coverage will be televised live on TNT beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT and broadcast worldwide on the MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 19th race on the 2009 NSCS schedule will be televised live on SPEED Thursday, July 9 at 8:30 p.m. EDT.

Jimmie Johnson also Scores a Top-10 Finish at Loudon

LOUDON, NH (June 28, 2009) – Hendrick Motorsports’ Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson both had dominating performances in Sunday’s rain-shortened LENOX Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Both led multiple laps but in the end pit strategy played a role as the rain approached and they had to settle for second and ninth respectively. Fellow HMS teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin finished 13^th and 14^th after running in the top-10 for the majority of the race.

After Friday’s qualifying session was cancelled because of rain, Gordon and Johnson both started from the front where they remained throughout most of the race. Gordon took the lead early and remained on the point for a total of 64 laps. Johnson also took his turn leading twice for a race-high 93 laps. Both finished in the top-10 maintaining their second and third positions in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin had solid runs running in the top-10 for the majority of the day. Earnhardt’s 13^th-place finish gained him one position in points where he now sits 19^th with Mark Martin maintaining his 11^th-place points position after finishing 14^th. Martin also led one lap earning five bonus points for the day.

Joey Logano took the win scoring his first Sprint Cup Series victory. Following Gordon’s second-place finish was Kurt Busch in third with David Reutimann and Tony Stewart rounding out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Live television coverage begins on Saturday, July 4, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 7:15 p.m. (ET).

Jeff Gordon Scores a Top-10 Finish with Earnhardt and Martin Finishing Further Back after Late-Race Incidents

Sonoma, CA (June 21, 2009) – Jimmie Johnson survived a pit road penalty early in the running of the SaveMart 350 to finish fourth in Sunday’s race at Infineon Raceway. Fellow Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teammate Jeff Gordon also fought back from a pit road penalty to finish ninth in the 110-lap event. Both Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had decent runs going before being involved in a late-race incident that relegated them both to finish further back in the field.

Starting from the 11^th position Jimmie Johnson was running in the top-10 when a pit road speeding penalty sent him to the rear of the field. However, the four-time Sprint Cup champion fought back to put himself back into the top-10 before finishing fourth. Johnson remains in the third spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings.

Fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon also had to fight back from a pit road speeding penalty to finish in the top-10. The No. 24 HMS team struggled with the car much of the weekend trying to get the car better throughout practice and the race. Gordon broke into the top-10 during a green-white-checker finish to score a ninth-place finish and remains in the runner-up spot in points only 84 markers out of first place.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was on his way to finishing in the top-10 before being involved in a multi-car incident late in the race. Junior was able to continue running but fell back further in the field to finish 26^th. His finish dropped him two spots in the point standings where he now sits 20^th.

Veteran driver Mark Martin was hoping for a better finish coming off his win one week ago in Michigan. However the Quaker State driver struggled throughout much of the event and also dropped several positions after being involved in that late-race incident. Martin finish 35^th for the day but remained in the top-12 in points sitting in the 11^th spot.

Kasey Kahne won the Toyota SaveMart 350 with Tony Stewart finishing second. Marcos Ambrose along with Johnson and Denny Hamlin rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon, New Hampshire. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT. The event will also be broadcast live on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:30 p.m. (ET).

Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, JR. Post Top-15 Finishes while Jeff Gordon Struggles to Finish 26^th

DOVER, DE (May 31, 2009) - Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday’s running of the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway by leading 298 laps on his way to his second victory of the season. Mark Martin finished 10^th with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing 12^th with a new crew chief on top of his pit box. Jeff Gordon got caught a lap down on pit road and fought handling problems throughout the event to finish 26^th.

Starting from the eighth position, the three-time Sprint Cup Champion obviously had the best car of the field leading nine different times for almost two-thirds of the race. A bad pit stop late in the race put the Quaker State driver in the eighth position for the final restart where he battled his way back into the top-three. Johnson ended up retaking the lead after a late-race battle for the top spot in the closing laps to earn his second victory of the season.

Mark Martin had a strong car all day long finishing 10^th to earn his seventh top-10 finish of the season while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a new crew chief this week turning in a solid run after starting from the 22^nd position.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon struggled all weekend after wrecking his primary car in qualifying and having to go to a backup car. With no laps on the new car Gordon started the 400-lap event in the 42^nd position. The Quaker State driver lost one lap when the caution flag waved while he was on pit road for a green-flag stop and handling problems resulted in another lap lost before taking the checkered flag in the 26^th position.

With Gordon’s rough day he lost one spot in the point standings falling to the second position and now sits 46 markers out of first place.  Jimmie Johnson moved up one position to third with his win while Mark Martin maintained his 12^th-place position. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also gained a spot moving into the 18^th position.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads next to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Live television coverage of the Pocono 500 begins at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT with radio coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, JR. Post Top-15 Finishes while Jeff Gordon Struggles to Finish 26^th

DOVER, DE (May 31, 2009) - Jimmie Johnson dominated Sunday’s running of the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover International Speedway by leading 298 laps on his way to his second victory of the season. Mark Martin finished 10^th with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finishing 12^th with a new crew chief on top of his pit box. Jeff Gordon got caught a lap down on pit road and fought handling problems throughout the event to finish 26^th.

Starting from the eighth position, the three-time Sprint Cup Champion obviously had the best car of the field leading nine different times for almost two-thirds of the race. A bad pit stop late in the race put the Quaker State driver in the eighth position for the final restart where he battled his way back into the top-three. Johnson ended up retaking the lead after a late-race battle for the top spot in the closing laps to earn his second victory of the season.

Mark Martin had a strong car all day long finishing 10^th to earn his seventh top-10 finish of the season while Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a new crew chief this week turning in a solid run after starting from the 22^nd position.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon struggled all weekend after wrecking his primary car in qualifying and having to go to a backup car. With no laps on the new car Gordon started the 400-lap event in the 42^nd position. The Quaker State driver lost one lap when the caution flag waved while he was on pit road for a green-flag stop and handling problems resulted in another lap lost before taking the checkered flag in the 26^th position.

With Gordon’s rough day he lost one spot in the point standings falling to the second position and now sits 46 markers out of first place.  Jimmie Johnson moved up one position to third with his win while Mark Martin maintained his 12^th-place position. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. also gained a spot moving into the 18^th position.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads next to Pocono Raceway on Sunday, June 7, 2009. Live television coverage of the Pocono 500 begins at 12:30 p.m. (ET) on TNT with radio coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Johnson and Gordon Finish in the Top-15 with Martin Finishing 17^th; Earnhardt, Jr. Finished 40^th

CONCORD, NC (May 25, 2009) - The Hendrick Motorsports teams were anxious to get the 50^th running of the Coca-Cola 600 started after heavy rains postponed the event on Sunday moving it to Monday. Weather remained a factor during Monday’s event with the HMS cars struggling with handling. Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon earned top-15 finishes in the rain-shortened race with Mark Martin finishing close behind in 17^th. Fellow HMS teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dealt with extreme handling issues finishing 40^th.

With cars set up to run at night and the track conditions changing after rains washed the rubber off the surface, the teams knew that handling would be an issue at least in the opening laps of the race.

Jimmie Johnson spent most of his day running in the top-10 only falling out late in the rain-shortened race. Johnson led one time for a total of six laps before settling into the 13^th position when the final caution flag waved on lap 220. Fellow Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon fought an extremely tight race car but his crew was able to make adjustments helping their driver earn a 14^th-place finish.

Mark Martin ran in the top-five in the opening laps of the race before falling back into the top-25. The Quaker State driver rallied back into the top-15 before slipping into the 17^th position right before the final caution and red flag waved.

Fellow HMS driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled the entire race after starting in the 27^th position. Handling issues plagued NASCAR’s "Most Popular Driver" throughout the 227 completed laps relegating him to a 40^th-place finish.

The event was interrupted by rain three different times before weather ended the 400-lap race early.

Gordon remains the points leader after 12 starts with Jimmie Johnson maintaining his fourth-place position. Mark Martin remains in the top-12 in the final Chase position with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. slipping a spot to the 19^th position.

David Reutimann scored his first NASCAR Sprint Cup win followed by Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon. Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series heads next to the Dover International Speedway on Sunday, May 31, 2009. Live television coverage of the Autism Speaks 400, presented by Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips & Cheese begins at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. on PRN (Performance)

Martin and Earnhardt, Jr. Score Top-10 Finishes in Million Dollar Event

CONCORD, NC (May 17, 2009) - Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) drivers Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon both took turns leading Saturday night’s Sprint All-Star race before finding trouble in the final 10-lap segment after spinning as a result of contact with other cars. Johnson was able to continue but Gordon’s night was ended early. Fellow HMS teammates Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. both brought home top-10 finishes in the million dollar event.

Jimmie Johnson started the 100-lap event from the pole and went on to lead entire 50-lap first segment. After a set of pit stops between the first and second segments Johnson took the green flag in the fifth spot. The three-time champion remained in the top-five running positions throughout the next two segments. In was in the final 10-lap shootout that he found trouble getting turned on the first lap bringing out the caution. After a trip to pit road Johnson had to restart the race in the rear of the field but made his way back into the top-15 to finish 13^th.

Four-time Champion Jeff Gordon also had a strong car in the All-Star event starting from the sixth position. The Quaker State driver raced in the top-five for most of the 100-lap event leading 10 of the 20 laps in the third segment. In the final 10-lap shootout Gordon got spun while battling for the lead and ended up nose first in the outside retaining wall. Gordon’s night was cut short with just three laps remaining and he was credited with a 19^th-place finish.

Mark Martin also had a stout car racing in the top-five for much of the night. Running as high as the third position, Martin settled in for the final 10 laps taking the checkered flag in the sixth position. Fellow HMS teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought handling for much of the race before crossing the start-finish line in the 10^th position.

Tony Stewart took home the million dollar trophy with his first All-Star win followed by Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch. Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24, 2009 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Live television coverage begins at 5:00 p.m. (ET) on FOX with radio coverage beginning at 4:30 p.m. on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite radio.

Three-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson Finishes Second after Qualifying Crash

DARLINGTON, SC (May 9, 2009) - Mark Martin took the win in Saturday night’s running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway scoring his second victory of the 2009 season. Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon scored top-10 finishes as well with Johnson finishing in the runner-up spot and Gordon coming home in the fifth position.

After starting in the 12^th position Martin ran solidly in the top-15 for most of the 367-lap event. The Quaker State driver took the lead on lap 322 remaining on the point for the final 46 circuits on the way to his second win of the season. With his first-place finish, Martin moved into the top-12 in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series point standings for the first time of the season. He now sits 11^th.

Fellow HMS driver Jimmie Johnson literally had a roller coaster weekend. After wrecking in qualifying, the No. 48 driver had to go to a back-up car and start the 500-mile event from the 42^nd position. Crew chief Chad Knaus used pit strategy to gain Johnson the lead, picking up valuable bonus points for leading laps. Johnson then got caught on pit road with a caution flag putting the Quaker State driver a lap down. The reigning champion was able to regain the lost lap but found trouble again on pit road after being spun out while coming in for service. Recovering again, Johnson found his way back into the top-10 by lap 320 and worked his way into the runner-up spot for the finish. The three-time Sprint Cup Champion gained two spots in the point standings moving back into the fourth spot.

Four-time Champion Jeff Gordon also had a roller coaster event after starting on the outside pole. Gordon remained in the top-five before a wheel vibration relegated him to the back of the pack. He was able to recover and regain his lap late in the race moving back into the top-10 to finish fifth. Gordon maintained his point lead and sits 29 markers ahead of the second-place driver after 11 events.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. struggled with handling most of the race running between the 20^th and 30^th positions for much of the event. NASCAR’s Most Popular Driver broke into the top-10 one time before bringing out the final caution on lap 344 with a spin. Junior went on to finish in the 27^th position while maintaining the 18^th spot in the point standings.

Following Mark Martin and Jimmie Johnson’s one-two finish were teammates Tony Stewart and Ryan Newman. Gordon rounded out the top-five giving Quaker State and Hendrick Motorsports three of the top-five finishing positions.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the Sprint All-Star weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Live television coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Showdown begins on Saturday, May 16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on SPEED.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The Sprint All-Star Race will follow with coverage beginning at 8:30 Eastern Daylight Time on both SPEED and MRN, Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson Experience Problems

RICHMOND, VA (May 2, 2009) - Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon both had solid runs in Saturday night’s running of the Crown Royal presents The Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Speedway. Both drivers came home with a top-10 finish while fellow Quaker State drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jimmie Johnson had trouble.

Mark Martin spent most of the night running in the top-five before another car caused him to spin on lap 313. The Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) driver was able to continue and remain on the lead lap working his way back toward the front in the closing laps of the race to finish in the top-five.

Fellow HMS driver Jeff Gordon also had a solid run after racing in the top-10 for the entire 400- lap event. Gordon led four different times for a total of 96 laps before finishing in the eighth position.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought extreme handling issues throughout the race. His Tony Eury, Jr. led crew worked on his No. 88 Chevrolet throughout the event but was never able to give Junior the handling he needed. The Quaker State driver finished the night in the 27^th position the first car a lap down to the leaders.

Three-time Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson started the race off with a solid run racing in the top-15 before brake issues began to plague the Quaker State driver. A pit road penalty in the early stages of the race dropped Johnson to the back of the field. The penalty along with the brake issues caused the No. 48 driver to lose several laps before taking the checkered flag in the 36^th position.

Jeff Gordon moved back into the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points lead with is top-10 run while Johnson lost three positions dropping to the sixth position. Mark Martin gained three spots moving into the 15^th spot with Dale Earnhardt, Jr. losing three positions falling to the 18^th spot.

Kyle Busch took the win on Saturday night in Richmond with Tony Stewart and Jeff Burton finishing second and third. Ryan Newman finished fourth with Quaker State’s Mark Martin rounding out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Southern 500 presented by GoDaddy.com at Darlington Raceway. Live television coverage begins on Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).   

Gordon and Martin get caught up in the "Big One" with Johnson having Trouble in the Closing Laps

TALLADEGA, AL (April 26, 2009) - The Hendrick Motorsports teams of Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin had mixed results in what was a dramatic race at the 2.66-mile track of Talladega Superspeedway. Earnhardt scored a second-place finish with Johnson, Gordon and Martin all finishing in the back of the pack after experiencing trouble.

Earnhardt led a total of 20 laps seven different times and put himself in position to make a run for the lead in the closing laps before finishing second in what turned out to be a wild finish.

Three-time and defending champion Jimmie Johnson kept himself in contention for most of the 188-lap event. It wasn’t until late in the race with just several laps remaining that Johnson found himself in an accident that ended his day early. Johnson was running in the top 10 at the time of the incident but was relegated to a 30^th-place finish after falling out of the race with just nine laps left in competition.

Four-time champion Jeff Gordon was also involved along with eight other cars, was involved in a multi-car accident on lap seven of the 188-lap event that sent him behind the wall and to the garage. After many laps the No. 24 team made the appropriate repairs and got Gordon back on track where he continued to run laps and gain as many positions as possible. Gordon finished in the 37^th position, 60 laps down to the leaders.

Coming off of last week’s win in Phoenix, Mark Martin was hoping for a better finish in Talladega but was also involved in the "Big One". The damage to the No. 5 machine was too significant for Martin to continue ending his day early and relegating him to a 43^rd-place finish.

Brad Keselowski took the win in a dramatic finish followed by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Ryan Newman, Marcos Ambrose and Scott Speed rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action next weekend for the running of the Crown Royal present Russ Friedman 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Live television coverage begins on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX.  The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius XM Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Quaker State Driver Wins after Claiming Third Pole of the Season

AVONDALE, AZ (April 19, 2009) – After 97 races without a victory, Mark Martin took the checkered flag on Saturday night to win the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. Martin started from the pole, his third of the 2009 season and led a total of 157 laps over five different times before taking the win. Fellow Quaker State driver Jimmie Johnson also earned a top-five run finishing fourth to earn his fourth top-five finish of the season.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. had an up and down event at Phoenix leading twice for a total of 63 laps before getting a bad set of tires that dropped him in the running order. In addition the Hendrick Motorsports driver had a late race incident that sent him into the wall on lap 302 causing him to lose a couple of laps and finish 31^st for the evening.

Fellow HMS teammate Jeff Gordon started the event in the fourth position and ran in the top-10 for the first 140 laps of the race. Handling issues dropped the four-time champion out of the top-10 and then a pit road mistake during a green-flag pit cycle brought the No. 24 Quaker State driver back down the pit lane for a missing lug nut. Gordon lost a lap during the penalty and finished 25^th one lap down to the leaders.

Gordon remains the point leader and sits 85 markers ahead of Quaker State teammate Jimmie Johnson who remains in the second spot. Martin’s win moved him up five more positions and he now sits 13^th in the standings just nine points out of the top-12. Dale Earnhardt Jr. lost three positions falling to the 19^th spot after his 31^st-place finish.

Mark Martin took the win at Phoenix on Saturday night with Tony Stewart finishing second. Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle rounded out the top-five.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will return to action next weekend for the running of the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, April 26, 2009 at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Fellow Quaker State Driver Jimmie Johnson Finishes Second Giving Hendrick Motorsports a One-Two Finish

FT. WORTH, TX (April 5, 2009) – Four-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon ended a 47-race winless streak with his victory in the Samsung 500 on Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Gordon led a race-high 105 laps after starting the 334-lap race from the outside pole. Fellow HMS driver Jimmie Johnson gave the team a one-two finish after taking the checkered flag in the runner-up spot.

Johnson struggled at the beginning of the race but the Chad Knaus led crew worked on his Chevrolet throughout the event and made it better for their driver. The three-time and defending champion broke returned to the top 10 on lap 240 after falling back remained there for the remaining laps of the race. Johnson made a late-race run to try to challenge for the lead but ran out of laps.

Fellow Quaker State driver Mark Martin finished sixth earning another top-10 finish after starting in the 23^rd position. Martin patiently made his way into the top-10 breaking into the top five late in the race before falling to sixth in the closing laps.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought handling issues throughout the race but remained around the top 10 for much of race. A pit strategy call put the two-time Nationwide Series champion in the lead late in the race however contact with another car relegated him to a 20^th-place finish.

Gordon remains the points leader with a 162-point lead over second place Jimmie Johnson who moved up two spots with his second-place finish. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. remains 16^th in points with Mark Martin gaining nine spots to the 18^th position.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will take a week off before returning to action for the running of the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. Live television coverage begins on Saturday, April 18, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 7:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Fellow Hendrick Motorsports Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. have Solid Runs with Mark Martin having Trouble

HAMPTON, GA (March 8, 2009) - Hendrick Motorsports and Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon continued his strong start to the 2009 season on Sunday finishing second in the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Fellow HMS teammates Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. both had solid runs finishing ninth and 11th respectively while Mark Martin found trouble on the track relegating him to a 31st-place finish.

After starting in the 16th position Gordon never raced outside of the top 10 for the remainder of the 500-mile race. The veteran led one time for a total of 47 laps and battled for the lead at different times as well. The four-time Sprint Cup Champion made a charge for the front under the green-white-checkered finish but just did not have enough to take the win. Gordon’s second-place finish marks his second top-five and third top-10 finish in the first four events of the season. He remains at the top of the NSCS point standings 43 points ahead of the second-place driver.

Defending and three-time champion Jimmie Johnson also had a solid day running in the top-10 for most of the event. A pit road penalty for speeding late in the race put the Quaker State driver out of the top-10 before he battled back to finish ninth. Johnson led the race one time for 11 laps and now sits just outside the top-12 in points in the 13th position.

Fellow HMS and Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought handling issues with a loose race track throughout the day. The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet raced in the top 15 with a solid top-10 run between lap 80 and lap 200. Junior’s 11th-place run gained him five spots in the point standings moving him into the top-25.

Mark Martin started the weekend out on a high note claiming the pole position for Sunday’s race. The 50-year-old led the first five laps of the event and was running in the top 10 when he lost a right rear tire and made heavy contact with the outside retaining wall. The No. 5 HMS crew made repairs to Martin’s machine and got their driver back on track to finish the race. Martin took the checkered flag in the 31st position.

Kurt Busch won the Kobalt Tools 500 with Gordon finishing just behind him in second. Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Brian Vickers rounded out the top-five.

After taking a week off the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee for the running of the Food City 500. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, March 22, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

All Four Hendrick Cars Score Top-10 Finishes in Goody’s Fast Relief 500

MARTINSVILLE, VA (March 29, 2009) - Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson made a daring pass in the closing stages of Sunday’s running of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 to take the win at Martinsville Speedway. The three-time and defending champion had a strong car most of the day on his way to his fifth victory in the last six races at the infamous short track. Fellow Quaker State teammates Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. all scored top-10 finishes in Sunday’s race as well.

Johnson struggled in the early stages of the race pitting early to allow the No. 48 team to work on his Chevrolet. Crew Chief Chad Knaus made the correct adjustments with Johnson breaking into the top-five by lap 258 and never dropping out. The Lowe’s/Quaker State team earned Johnson the lead for the first time on a pit stop and it was a during that late race pass that the reigning champion took the lead again for the final time. The California native led two different times for a total of 42 laps and moved up five spots in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings to the fourth position.

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon started from the pole after Friday’s qualifying session was rained out and the field was set according to owner points. Taking the lead four different times for a total of 147 laps, Gordon appeared to be on his way to breaking his winless streak. However, the No. 24 Chevrolet fell back a little in the closing stages of the race and Gordon had to settle for a fourth-place finish.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin both fought back from running deep in the field to finish in the top-10 as well. Martin’s seventh-place finish moved him up four spots in the point standings to 27th with Earnhardt gaining three spots to move to 16th after finishing eighth.

Sunday’s race at Martinsville marked the 25th anniversary of Hendrick Motorsport’s first win. Having Johnson win 25 years later and all four of his teams finish in the top-10 was a perfect cap to the celebration of this milestone.

Denny Hamlin finished second behind Johnson followed by Tony Stewart in third. Gordon’s fourth-place finish along with Clint Bowyer’s fifth-place run rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, April 5, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Mark Martin Earns Pole for Second Race in a Row

BRISTOL, TN (March 22, 2009) - The Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) teams had a strong showing in Sunday’s running of the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Three of the four teams finished in the top-10 after Mark Martin earned his second pole in the past two events. Jimmie Johnson finished third with Jeff Gordon and Mark Martin right behind him in fourth and sixth. Fellow Quaker State teammate Dale Earnhardt, Jr. fought his way back from a lap down twice to finish 14^th.

Three-time series champion Jimmie Johnson finished third in Sunday’s race after leading two different times for a total of 88 laps, the second highest of the race. The reigning champion ran in the top-five for most of the 500-lap race and battled for the lead on many occasions. However trouble during a pit stop prevented the No. 48 team from taking the win. Johnson’s top-five run moved him into the top-12 in points where he sits in the ninth spot.

Fellow Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon also had a strong run finishing fourth. The four-time Sprint Cup champion started in the 10^th position and ran in the top-10 for much of the day. Gordon who is on a strong start to the 2009 season remains on top of the point standings for the third week in a row. He now has a 76-point lead over the second place driver.

Veteran driver Mark Martin started the Food City 500 from the pole, his second in as many events and led the opening laps of the event before settling into the top five. The HMS driver raced in the top 10 for much of the race only falling out during pit sequences. Martin’s solid run helped move the driver up in points as well.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. had a tough day in his No. 88 Chevy falling off the lead lap on two different occasions. However the Tony Eury, Jr. led crew kept working on Earnhardt’s car and he was able to put himself in position to gain his lap back twice. Earnhardt finished 14^th and moved up five spots in the point standings to the 19^th position.

Kyle Busch won the Food City 500 followed by Denny Hamlin and Jimmie Johnson. Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne rounded out the top five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, Virginia. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, March 29, 2009 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN (Motor Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 1:15 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

Gordon and Mears both Score Top-10 Finishes with Earnhardt, Jr. Falling out Early

HOMESTEAD, FL (November 16, 2008) - Jimmie Johnson entered the final race of the 2008 Sprint Cup Series season with a 141-point lead over second place Carl Edwards. Johnson just needed to finish 36th or better to claim his record-tying third-consecutive Sprint Cup Championship.

Starting from the 30th position Johnson didn’t hold back and gained 12 spots in the opening laps of the race. By lap 156 the two-time champion worked his way into the top 10. Continuing to do what he needed to do to secure the championship, Johnson maintained his position keeping out of trouble. A strategy call by crew chief Chad Knaus put Johnson in the position to take the lead after pitting on lap 200. In the closing laps, Johnson had to return for a splash of fuel and took the checkered flag in the 15th position.

Four time Cup champion Jeff Gordon entered Homestead-Miami Speedway still looking for his first win of the 2008 season. Gordon started from the 37th position but through a miscommunication on a pit stop found himself out front on lap 167. After leading 16 laps, the driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet remained at the point until lap 207 when he brought his car down the pit lane. Gordon crossed the start/finish line in the fourth spot earning his 13th top-five finish of the year.

Casey Mears had a solid run in his final race with Hendrick Motorsports racing in the top-10 early in the 400-mile event. Mears spent time in and out of the top-15 before making a bid again for the top-10 late in the race where he took the checkered flag. Mears’ eighth-place finish marked the drivers sixth top-10 run of the season.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. was running toward the front of the field before having trouble on pit road at lap 140. The Q Racing driver stalled the No. 88 Chevrolet leaving his pit and lost several positions while trying to get it restarted. He then came back down the pit lane to take on the two more tires and restarted at the tail end of the lead lap cars in the 21st position.

However it was on lap 246 while running in the top 10 that Earnhardt’s race would take a detrimental turn. Thinking he had a tire going down he came down the pit lane to receive four new tires. When the fresh tires did not fix the problem, he returned to pit road where the No. 88 crew found a burned wheel bearing thus ending his night early. Earnhardt fell out of the race and was credited with a 41st-place finish.

Johnson finished atop the points 69 points ahead of second-place finisher Carl Edwards. Gordon wound up seventh overall in the final point standings with Earnhardt dropping to the 12th spot. Q Racing teammate Casey Mears finished 20th.

Carl Edwards took the win in the final race with Kevin Harvick, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Gordon and Clint Bowyer rounding out the top-five.

A Late-Race Pit Call put Gordon and Martin behind While Earnhardt, Jr. and Johnson Experience Problems

DAYTONA BEACH, FL (February 15, 2009) - Persistent rain forced NASCAR officials to call the 51st running of the Daytona 500 with just 152 laps of the 200-lap event complete. The Hendrick Motorsports (HMS) stable of cars had a strong showing in the early laps of the race with several teams taking turns leading but unfortunately for the Quaker State drivers circumstances caused problems relegating the teams to lesser finishes.

The newest member of the HMS team, Mark Martin, had a very successful outing in his first event for the team. Martin claimed the outside pole one week ago during qualifying and led the field to the green along-side pole sitter Martin Truex, Jr. Martin raced in the top-10 for much of the first half of the race until coming down pit road under the caution before the rain delay that eventually ended the race. Martin and his teammate Jeff Gordon both gambled thinking the race would continue and took on fresh tires during that last stop. Martin ended up 16th for the day.

Fellow Quaker State driver Jeff Gordon had a strong car leading laps after starting in the third position. His team also gambled taking on tires under the final yellow and finished 13th.

Three-time Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson raced toward the front of the field early before falling back because of handling issues. Johnson got caught by a caution flag after pitting under the green costing the team to go a lap down. The Quaker State driver was unable to make his lap back up and finished 31st.

Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Junior) led early as well but a pit road penalty cost the team a lap followed by an on-track incident that caused a 10-car accident. Junior avoided any major damage to his Chevrolet and was able to get his lap back but was only able to get to the 27th position before the race was called.

Matt Kenseth was declared the winner of the race with Harvick finishing second. A.J. Allmendinger, Clint Bowyer and Elliott Sadler rounded out the top five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, California. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 5:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).

Fellow Quaker State Drivers Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin Suffer Engine Problems

FONTANA, Calif. (February 22, 2009) - Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson had solid runs in the Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway with both drivers leading laps and scoring top-10 finishes. Fellow Quaker State Teammates Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin also had solid runs going before losing engines late in the race - thus ending their nights early.

Three-time Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson had a strong qualifying run with a lap quick enough to put him on the outside of the front row for the 250-lap event. Johnson took over the lead on the opening lap and remained at the top spot for many laps. Racing in the top-five for the majority of the race, Johnson took the checkered flag in the ninth position.

Fellow Hendrick Motorsports driver Jeff Gordon was also solid all night after starting from the sixth position. The four-time champion took the lead on lap 89 and remained in the top-five for most of the event. Gordon made a late-race charge for the lead but just did not have enough to catch eventual race winner Matt Kenseth.

Both Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Mark Martin were running in the top 15 when they had their engines expire late in the race. The two drivers took their cars to the garage area within a handful of laps of each other and finished 39th and 40th respectively for the evening.

Matt Kenseth scored his second win in a row with Gordon in the runner-up spot. Kyle Busch, Greg Biffle and Kurt Busch rounded out the top five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, March 1, 2009 at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FOX. The event will also be broadcast live on PRN (Performance Racing Network) and Sirius Satellite Radio with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).