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).

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).

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).

Earnhardt also Scores a Top-10 Finish While Martin and Johnson have Problems

LAS VEGAS, NV (March 1, 2009) - Jeff Gordon scored a sixth-place finish in the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and took over the points lead after the third race of the 2009 season. Fellow Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. finished 10th while Jimmie Johnson and Mark Martin had problems.

Four-time Sprint Cup Champion Jeff Gordon has had a solid start to the 2009 season and kept that streak going with a sixth-place finish in Las Vegas. Gordon battled teammate Jimmie Johnson for the lead early in the race before having trouble getting on to pit road during a green-flag stop causing him to blow a right front tire. The No. 24 DuPont team made repairs to Gordon's machine under the caution and was able to keep him on the lead lap. Gordon rallied back from the pit road mishap and was able score his second top-10 finish in just three races.

Fellow Quaker State driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (Junior) also had an up and down race after starting in the 31st position. He lost a lap early in the event after getting caught speeding on pit road. NASCAR's "Most Popular Driver" was able to get his lap back just before the 100-lap mark and be in position to battle his way to the front of the field. Junior remained in the top-15 for much of the later part of the race before taking the checkered flag in the 10th position.

Reigning Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson had a strong Chevrolet leading the first 50 laps of the race. He remained in the top-10 for much of the event before trouble on pit road relegated the three-time champion to a lap down. Johnson was able to get his lap back and was running back in the top-10 before losing control and making heavy contact with the outside retaining wall on lap 279. With less than a handful of laps left Johnson had to settle for a 24th-place finish.

Hendrick Motorsports teammate Mark Martin started the event in the eighth position and was running in the top-five when he lost an engine that ended his day early. He was credited with the 40th spot.

Las Vegas native Kyle Busch took the checkered flag scoring his first win of the 2009 season with Clint Bowyer and Jeff Burton finishing second and third. David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte rounded out the top-five.

Next up for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series is the running of the Kobalt Tools 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Georgia. Live television coverage begins on Sunday, March 8, 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).

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).

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).

JIMMIE JOHNSON CLAIMS THIRD STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP WITH A 15TH-PLACE FINISH AT HOMESTEAD

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.

Quaker State Driver Ends Up Sixth in Final Championship Standings

POMONA, Calif. (November 15, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series completed their 2009 season this weekend with the running of the 45^th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals. Quaker State driver Tony Pedregon entered the final event fourth in the championship point standings however Pedregon took a first-round loss in the eliminations ending his day early.

Racing action began on Thursday with qualifying rounds that lasted through Saturday. The Quaker State driver struggled a little in his first pass losing traction around the 800-foot mark. In his second run, Pedregon improved his position during Friday’s qualifying session turning in a nice pass.

Saturday’s rounds saw Pedregon have mixed results with him putting the Quaker State Impala in the 13^th overall spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The Quaker State team had hoped to cap off the season with a solid performance however the cards were not in their favor.  Facing off against Matt Hagan in the first elimination round, Pedregon found himself in a close race to the 660-foot mark before his pipes went wet causing him to take the loss and ending his day early.

Pedregon turned in another solid season leading the championship point standings for many weeks before settling for the sixth position in the end.

Quaker State Driver heads into Final Event in the Third Position in Point Standings

LAS VEGAS, NV (November 1, 2009) – After taking a couple of weeks off, the NHRA Funny Car Series returned to action this weekend for the Ninth annual NHRA Las Vegas Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Racing action began Friday with the first two of four qualifying sessions. In his first run of the weekend, Tony Pedregon made a good, solid pass in the Quaker State Impala putting himself in the top-five of the qualifying run down. A second run netted another solid pass good enough to keep the Quaker State driver in the top-five as he sat fourth spot going into Saturday’s rounds.

Saturday’s session proved to be just as good as the two-time champion was able to maintain his top-five position and remained in the fourth spot for Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Facing off  against Jeff Arend in the first round of eliminations, Pedregon got beat out of the gate but the Brownsburg, Indiana native was able to pull even and started to pull away before losing a cylinder. However he was able to continue to extend his lead and take the win moving into round two.

Unfortunately Pedregon’s second round didn’t fare as well as his opening run. Paired with Del Worsham, the Quaker State driver was behind from the green light but was able to close the gap after the 330-foot mark. He still came up a little short and had to take the loss ending his day.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the final race of the 2009 season. The Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals are set for November 12 – 15 at Auto Club Raceway at Pomona. Qualifying rounds are set to start on Friday with elimination rounds scheduled for Sunday, November 15.

Quaker State Driver Still Fighting for Third Funny Car Championship

RICHMOND, VA (October 11, 2009) – The NHRA made a stop at Virginia Motorsports Park this past weekend for the Virginia NHRA Nationals. With just three races remaining in the season Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to bring the momentum from last week’s final round appearance and continue to gain in the points. However, the team suffered a first round loss in eliminations ending their day earlier than they would have liked.

Racing action began at the Virginia track with qualifying rounds on Friday. The Quaker State driver made a nice opening pass followed by another strong run winding up the day 11^th overall. Saturday’s qualifying rounds were a little more challenging with the Brownsburg, Indiana native rattling his tires before halftrack causing him to have to lift during the day’s first run. Pedregon returned to make a nice run on his fourth and final pass jumping into the top half of the field. With all rounds complete, the Quaker State driver ended up ninth overall.

 As Sunday’s elimination rounds got under way, Pedregon was paired up with Mike Neff for the first pass. Unfortunately the two-time champ lost traction almost immediately in the run costing him the race and ending his day only after the first round.

Pedregon remains in the third spot in the championship point standings. He is 48 markers out of first place with two races remaining in the season.

The NHRA will take a couple of weeks off before heading back to racing action for the Oct. 29 – Nov. 1 Las Vegas NHRA Nationals at the Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Quaker State Driver Gains a Position in the Point Standings as well

MILLINGTON, TN (October 4, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed into Memphis Motorsports Park coming off of two straight weeks of first round elimination losses. Hoping to make a strong showing and rebound in the championship point standings Pedregon did just that making his way to the finals before losing an elimination round. With his performance the Quaker State driver picked up a spot in the championship point standings and now sits in the third position with three races remaining.

Racing action got underway on Friday with the first two rounds of qualifying. Pedregon had two solid passes ending up in the top-five after the sessions were complete. Saturday’s rounds proved to be just as strong with the two-time champion maintaining the fourth qualifying position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The skies opened up on Sunday causing a delay in racing action at the track. Officials finally called the day’s activities and rescheduled elimination rounds for Monday.

Once Monday rolled around conditions were much more favorable and eliminations got under way. In his first run for the day Pedregon was paired with Mike Neff. The past champion rebounded from a slight starting line disadvantage to take the win. The second round saw the Quaker State driver up against Matt Hagan where Pedregon had the starting line advantage but banged the blower around half track sending the Quaker State body flying in the air. However the Quaker State driver had enough of an advantage to keep the win.

The semi-final round saw Pedregon in a race with Ron Capps. The Brownsburg, Indiana native has won all four times when paired with Capps in prior events this season. Once again the Quaker State driver pulled off the win advancing to the final round.

With two straight first-round losses the Quaker State team was hoping to redeem themselves with a win. Pedregon faced off against Jeff Arend for the final pass but was late getting to the starting line and had problems as soon as the light turned green. Arend took the win with Pedregon finishing in the runner-up position.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is a stop at Virginia Motorsports Park in Richmond, Virginia. Racing action for the Virginia NHRA Nationals is set to begin on Friday, October 9 with qualifying rounds. Elimination rounds are set for Sunday, October 11.

Quaker State Driver Continues Hunt for Third Funny Car Championship

ENNIS, TX (September 27, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Texas Motorplex near Dallas, Texas for the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals in hopes of rebounding from their first-round loss one week ago in North Carolina. 

The two-time champion started the weekend off with a strong qualifying run in Friday’s opening session. With two decent passes under his belt, Pedregon found himself in the 11^th spot going into Saturday’s qualifying rounds.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native had trouble in Saturday’s opening run going up in smoke in his first pass of the day. However, the Quaker State driver rebounded with a solid pass in the fourth and final round earning himself the 11^th spot going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Paired with close friend Bob Tasca III in round one, Pedregon got out of the gate first with Tasca pulling even quickly. The pair stayed side-by-side to the 330-foot mark with Tasca pulling ahead at the end of the run to take the win and ending Pedregon’s day early. The loss marked Pedregon’s the second first-round loss in a row.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the O’Reilly NHRA Mid-South Nationals at Memphis Motorsports Park in Memphis, Tennessee. Racing action begins on Friday, October 2 with qualifying rounds followed by elimination rounds on Sunday, October 4.

Quaker State Driver Maintains Points Lead with Five Races Remaining

CONCORD, N.C. (September 20, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series returned to action this weekend with the first event in the six-race Countdown to 1. Qualifying for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals began on Friday, September 18 with the elimination rounds run on Sunday. Pedregon got off to a slow start and had his day end early after suffering a first-round loss. However, the Quaker State driver was able to maintain the top spot in the championship points standings with just five races remaining in the season.

Pedregon experienced trouble early when he came to the line for his first qualifying run when the Quaker State driver began his burnout and something went wrong with the car. After looking under the hood the team decided to abort the run and take no time. In the second qualifying run, the Quaker State driver just needed to make a clean pass to get in the show. Pedregon did just that moving into the 11^th spot after the day was done.

During Saturday’s qualifying rounds, the Brownsburg, Indiana native got off to a strong start after making a great run in the third round and moving all the way up to the third spot. Following the fourth a final run, Pedregon found himself in the fourth position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Unfortunately Sunday’s results were not as good as Saturday’s as Pedregon found himself eliminated after the first round. Paired up with Matt Hagan, Pedregon was a little behind out of the gate but made up the distance at the 330-foot mark. However Hagan was able to pull away again and take the win.

Next up for Pedregon and the Quaker State team is the O’Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals at Texas Motorplex in Dallas, Texas. Racing action begins on Thursday, September 24 with elimination rounds on Sunday, September 27, 2009.

Quaker State Driver Secures Top Spot in the Countdown to 1

CLERMONT, IN - INDY (September 7, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to O’Reilly Raceway Park over the Labor Day weekend for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals, the final event before the Countdown to 1. Pedregon put the Quaker State Impala solidly into the field making it all the way to the semi-final round before losing to eventual race winner Ashley Force Hood. With his strong performance, the Quaker State driver secured the top spot in the point standings going into the six-race Countdown to 1.

Qualifying rounds began on Friday with the fourth and final round taking place on Sunday. Pedregon opened the qualifying session struggling a little to get his Quaker State Impala to hook up and get a solid pass. After the first two rounds, the two-time champion remained on the outside looking in not yet qualified for the event.

It was in the third round that Pedregon laid down a strong and clean pass getting his 300 mile per hour run just missing the top half of the field. Going into the fourth and final round in the 10th position the Brownsburg, Indiana native paired up with his brother Cruz to make his final qualifying run. Pedregon was able to gain a little speed but dropped one spot to the 11th position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The first round of eliminations proved to be a wild race for the Quaker State driver as his competitor smoked his tires giving Pedregon the lead just before his shoots came out around the half way point of the run. However the Indiana native was able to hold on to his lead taking the win and advancing to the next round.

In the second round, Pedregon’s Quaker State Impala took the early lead and kept pulling ahead steadily to take the win and advance to the semi-finals. The semi-final proved to be a great looking race with Pedregon taking the loss after slightly trailing eventual race winner Ashley Force Hood.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to zMax Dragway in Concord, North Carolina for the NHRA Carolinas Nationals, site of the first race of the Countdown to 1. Qualifying is set for Friday and Saturday, September 18 – 19 with elimination rounds on Sunday, September 20.

Quaker State Driver Continues to Lead Points

MOHNTON, PA (August 23, 2009) – Following their victory last week in Brainerd, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to carry the momentum into this week’s running of the Toyo Tires NHRA Nationals at maple Grove Raceway. With a solid qualifying effort the Quaker State team made it to the semi-finals in Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Weather plagued the two days of qualifying sessions only allowing two of the four runs to get in. Pedregon turned in a solid performance putting the Quaker State Impala in the second qualifying spot going into the elimination rounds.

The two-time champion made a solo run in the first elimination round after his competitor broke before the pass. With the win Pedregon then faced off against Del Worsham in round two and took the win after Worsham spun his rear tires. The victory moved Pedregon to the semi-final round where he was paired up against Mike Neff.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native came into the semi-final with a 5-2 record over Neff in prior events. Pedregon had the quicker start but the rear tires on the Quaker State Impala began to shake at the 330-foot mark and he had to click it off ending his day early.

Pedregon continues to lead the point standings with one event left before the start of the six-race Countdown to One.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to O’Reilly Raceway Park on September 2 – 7 for the Mac Tools U.S. Nationals. Qualifying sessions are set to begin on Friday, September 4 and run through Sunday, September 6. Elimination rounds will take place on Monday, September 7 (Labor Day).

Quaker State Driver Maintains Points Lead with Victory

BRAINERD, MN (August 16, 2009) – Following two final round appearances in the previous two NHRA Funny Car events, Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team entered Brainerd International Raceway with hopes of continuing the momentum and scoring another win for the season.

The Quaker State driver started the weekend off on a strong note by putting the Quaker State Impala in the No. 3 qualifying spot after three rounds of sessions between Friday and Saturday.

Coming into Sunday’s elimination rounds, Pedregon continued the momentum from his strong qualifying effort as he took to the track on his way to his third victory of the season. The two-time champion won the first three elimination rounds making his way to his 74^th career final round appearance. With the top two drivers in the point standings facing off in the final the pass was sure to be an exciting run. However, Pedregon ended his day with an easy victory over Ron Capps who smoked his tires 250 feet into the final pass.

Sunday’s win in the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals not only marked Pedregon’s third win of the season but his 43^rd career victory as well. In addition, it was his seventh final-round appearance of the season and 74^th of his career.

Next up for Pedregon and the Quaker State team is the Toyo Tires NHRA National at Maple Grove Raceway in Reading, Pennsylvania. Racing action is set to begin on Friday, August 21^st with elimination rounds scheduled for Sunday, August 23^rd.

Quaker State Driver Clinches Spot in Countdown to One

SONOMA, Calif., (July 26, 2009) – For the second week in a row Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team made an appearance in the final round of eliminations as they turned in another strong performance this weekend in the 22^nd annual FRAM-Autolite NHRA Nationals at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, California.

With qualifying rounds beginning on Friday, Pedregon looked to carry the momentum from one week ago in Seattle to the event in Sonoma. In his first pass, the Quaker State driver turned in a flawless run putting himself second on the leader board. It was in the second round that he found trouble as one of his tires came loose around the 300-foot mark resulting in a slower pass and dropping him further down the leader board.

The second day of qualifying was uneventful with Pedregon turning in consistent runs that put him just outside the top-10 in the qualifying order in the 11^th position. However, by qualifying for Sunday’s elimination rounds, the two-time champion clinched his spot in the Countdown to One.

On Sunday in the first round of eliminations, Pedregon defeated Del Worsham after trailing him to the 60ft mark. The Brownsburg, Indiana native went on to defeat Mike Neff as well in round two after starting and staying out front for the entire pass. Up against Robert Hight in the semi-final round, Pedregon was quick off the light taking the win to move to the final round for the second week in a row.

Facing off against Tim Wilkerson in a re-run of the final one week ago in Seattle, the Quaker State driver was hoping to reverse the result and take the win. Pedregon got off the line first and was leading at the 660-foot mark but Wilkerson was able to pull out the win in the last 340 feet.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on August 13-16 for the Lucas Oil NHRA Nationals at Brainerd International Raceway in Brainers, Minnesota.

Quaker State Driver Makes it to the Final Round before Taking Loss

KENT, Washington (July 19, 2009) - The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to Pacific Raceways near Seattle, Washington for the 22^nd annual NHRA Northwest Nationals. Coming off a solid qualifying run in Denver, the Quaker State team was looking to redeem their performance in the elimination rounds where they lost in the second round ending their day early.

Racing action began on Friday with the first two rounds of qualifying. Once again Pedregon and the Quaker State team put in a solid performance taking the provisional number one spot by the end of the day. Just missing taking over the number one spot after his first run, the Brownsburg, Indiana native made it look easy in his second pass when he went right around the leader with both the low ET and top speed for his class.

Saturday’s qualifying session proved to be just as successful for Pedregon as he remained in the top spot for the final two rounds. With four consistent runs over the two qualifying days, the two-time champion was set to take on the competition in Sunday’s eliminations.

The Quaker State driver took the win in the first two rounds of eliminations defeating Grant Downing in his first pass and Ashley Force Hood in the second round.

A semi-final match-up with John Force saw the Quaker State driver pull away first at the green and then build a huge lead taking the win. In what was a close final round, Pedregon just fell short taking losing to Tim Wilkerson but ending his day with a solid effort.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will wrap up their three-race West Coast swing with the final event at Infineon Raceway. Qualifying rounds for the Fram Autolite NHRA Nationals in Sonoma, California begin on Friday, July 24 with eliminations rounds set for Sunday, July 26.

Quaker State Driver’s Day Ends Early with Second Round Elimination Loss

MORRISON, COLO. (DENVER) – July 12, 2009 – The NHRA kicked off the second half of the season with the first of three consecutive weekends of racing this past weekend. Traveling to the Rocky Mountains the teams faced one of their most challenges races on the schedule due to the altitude and its effects on the cars.

Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team arrived at Bandimere Speedway for the 30^th annual Mopar Mile–High NHRA Nationals with hopes of pulling out a strong showing and putting the first–round loss from Norwalk behind them. Pedregon had a solid qualifying performance putting his Quaker State Maxim in the second spot. Unfortunately, the Quaker State driver was paired against points leader Ashley Force Hood in the second round of eliminations taking the loss.

Pairing up against Force Hood in both passes on the first day of qualifying it became obvious the two drivers had strong cars and would be contenders throughout the weekend. With two good looking runs during Friday’s qualifying rounds, Pedregon entered Saturday on top of the leader board.

Saturday’s rounds resulted with two more strong passes for the two–time champion that put him in the second position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

In his first elimination round, Pedregon was paired with Mike Neff. The two put on a good looking drag race with Pedregon finishing about 39 feet ahead of Neff. After his first–round win, the Brownsburg, Indiana native was set for a race against Ashley Force Hood in round two. This race was another good show but this time the Quaker State driver was just a little behind at every increment and had to take the second–round loss ending his day.

Up next for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the NHRA Northwest Nationals at Pacific Raceways in Seattle, Washington on July 17 – 19.

Quaker State Driver Ends Two-Race Win Streak with First-Round Loss at

Summit Motorsports Park

NORWALK, Ohio (June 28, 2009) – Coming off of two wins in a row, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team hoped to continue the momentum they have gained over the past two events as the NHRA Funny Car Series rolled into Summit Motorsports Park for the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Nationals in Norwalk, Ohio.

Kicking off a full weekend of racing action was the first two of four qualifying rounds on Friday.

In his first pass of the weekend, the two-time champion lost traction just past the 660-foot mark and had to shut his engine down. However, the Quaker State driver followed that up with a strong pass. Pedregon’s second-round solid run put him in the top-five qualifying positions going into Saturday’s qualifying rounds.

His first run on Saturday, third overall, pretty much mirrored his opening pass with the Brownsburg, Indiana native hazing his tires around the 700-foot mark and shutting it down as a result. In his final pass Pedregon turned in a clean run keeping his third overall qualifying position going into the elimination rounds.

In Sunday’s elimination rounds, Pedregon was set for a repeat of the last two events when he lined up against Jim Head for the first round. Unfortunately the former champion had trouble with his first pass and lost traction and got out of the groove. As he got the Quaker State Impala close to the wall, Pedregon finally had to lift taking the first-round loss and ending his day early.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before heading to Bandimere Speedway in Denver, Colorado for the Mopar Mile-High NHRA. Racing action will begin on Friday, July 10 with eliminations rounds scheduled for Sunday, July 12.

Quaker State Driver Scores Final Win along with No. 1 Qualifying Spot

JOLIET, ILL (June 7, 2009) – The NHRA headed to Joliet, Illinois for the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals this past weekend. Returning to one of his favorite tracks, Tony Pedregon entered Route 66 Raceway, located just outside of Chicago, with hopes of claiming his first final win of the season.

Racing Action began on Friday with qualifying and Pedregon and his Quaker State team came out of the box strong. In his first pass, the two-time champion made a very nice run turning in a speed over 300 miles per hour, the first in some time. With his strong pass he put the Quaker State Impala in the No. 1 spot after the first round was completed. The last round of the day proved to be just a successful for the Brownsburg, Indiana native as Pedregon remained in the No. 1 spot going into Saturday’s rounds.

His third qualifying pass saw Pedregon going up in smoke by the 300-foot mark but he was able to rebound in round four by turning in his quickest pass to claim his second No. 1 qualifying spot of the 2009 season.

Pedregon faced up against Ron Capps in the first elimination round on Sunday. Capps got a slight starting line advantage but Pedregon was able to make up the difference by the time they went by the Christmas tree to take the win. The former champion followed up the first round with another strong pass as he faced off against Robert Hight. The Quaker State driver took the starting line advantage to take the win and advanced on to the semifinals.

Running up against his brother Cruz in the semifinal round, Pedregon got out the gate first and ran the low E.T. of the event to take the win. The run was the Indiana native’s quickest pass of the season.

Pedregon faced off against Ashley Hood Force in the final round, where he had a slight starting line advantage and never looked back as Force Hood went up in smoke as soon as she hit the throttle. The win marked Pedregon’s first victory of the season and his 41st career National event win.

Next up for the NHRA Funny Car Series is the running of the United Association NHRA SuperNationals at Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in Englishtown, New Jersey on June 11-14.

Second-Round Loss Ends Two-Time Champion's Day Early

TOPEKA, Kan. (May 31, 2009) - Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Topeka, Kansas for the running of the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals this weekend for the first of three events in a row. The Quaker State team was still looking for their first win of the season and has been consistently inching their way toward victory in the past several events.

Racing Action began on Friday with the first two of four rounds of qualifying. Pedregon had two strong qualifying runs during Friday's rounds that put the two-time champion in the third spot overall going into Saturday's rounds. In the third round of qualifying, the Quaker State driver got a little loose and had to ease off the throttle. Experiencing a little trouble with his fourth and final pass Pedregon was able to maintain that third spot going into Sunday's elimination rounds.

Facing off again Robert Hight in the round one of eliminations, Pedregon turned in a good pass that got the Quaker State Impala the win advancing him into the second round of eliminations.

In round two, the Brownsburg, Indiana native was paired up against Jack Beckman. Pedregon was ahead before the half-track point but began to fade just a bit from that point allowing Beckman to take the lead and win the round. Pedregon's day was ended with a second-round loss.

The NHRA Funny Car Series returns to action next weekend for the running of the United Association Route 66 NHRA Nationals at Route 66 Speedway in Chicago, Illinois June 4 - 7.

Quaker State Driver Falls just Short of Claiming First Win of 2009

BRISTOL, Tenn. (May 17, 2009) - The NHRA Funny Car Series headed to Bristol Dragway in Bristol, Tennessee for round eight of the 2009 NHRA schedule. The running of the NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals began on Friday afternoon with the first of four rounds of qualifying.

Taking to the track for Friday's qualifying sessions, Pedregon sported a new paint scheme this weekend featuring fellow Quaker State driver Jimmie Johnson's charity foundation. The Quaker State driver turned in a decent first pass putting his Impala in the fourth position after the run. In his second pass, the Brownsburg, Indiana native two-stepped the throttle before the green light not posting a time. After Friday's rounds were complete, Pedregon sat in the 13^th spot not in the show.

Saturday's session started off better with the Quaker State driver turning in a conservative time on his first pass. The two-time champion made his best run of the qualifying sessions on his fourth and final pass but remained in the 13^th spot having to run on Sunday from the bottom half of the ladder.

In the first round of eliminations Pedregon turned in a great pass after Matt Hagan lost an engine before the run. The win gave the two-time champion lane choice over Ron Capps in the second round. Once again, the Indiana native made a clean pass taking the win over Capps and advancing into the semi-finals.

In the semi-final round, Pedregon faced off against Ashley Force Hood where he had a great side-by-side race taking the win to advance to the final round.

In his second final-round appearance of the season, Pedregon put on a great drag race against Del Worsham. Both cars got a straight and clean start but Worsham opened up the lead all the way down the track taking the win. Pedregon recorded his second runner-up finish of the season.

After taking a week off the NHRA Funny Car Series will return to action on May 29 - 31 for the O'Reilly NHRA Summer Nationals at Heartland Park Topeka in Topeka, Kansas.

Quaker State Driver Continues Consistent Runs at Gateway

MADISON, ILL (May 3, 2009) - Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri for the running of the 13^th annual O'Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals. Pedregon, a two-time winner at the track, entered looking for his first victory of the 2009 season.

After rains cancelled all events on Friday, Pedregon geared up for his qualifying runs on Saturday. The Quaker State driver had a solid run in his first pass but had trouble in his second run. After going up in smoke around the 250-foot mark, Pedregon shut his engine off and coasted down the track. The Brownsburg, Indiana native ended up 10^th after the two sessions of qualifying were complete.

In Sunday's elimination rounds Pedregon faced off against Ashley Force Hood in the first match-up where he had a great light before running his quickest pass of the weekend moving him on to round two.

The second round saw Pedregon up against Matt Hagan where the two-time champion started his pass off with a slight advantage at the starting line. Hagan took the lead by the 330-foot mark but had trouble around the 1/8-mile mark giving Pedregon the victory.

For the second week in a row, Pedregon found himself in the semi-final round this time facing off against Del Worsham. After giving up lane choice Pedregon was the first out of the gate in his Quaker State Impala but was up in smoke as soon as he hit the throttle allowing Worsham to take the win and ending his day.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will head to Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee next after taking a week off. The NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals are set for May 15-17.

Quaker State Driver Earns Top-Five Qualifying Spot

COMMERCE, GA (April 19, 2009) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team headed to Atlanta Dragway this weekend for the 29^th Annual Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals. Atlanta is the site of Pedregon’s first Funny Car victory and the Quaker State driver entered this weekend’s event hoping to revisit the winner’s circle and claim his first win of the 2009 season.

As usual, racing action began with qualifying rounds held on both Friday and Saturday. In his first pass, Pedregon had a lot of tire shake and got out of the grove slowing the Quaker State Impala. The second qualifying pass for the Brownsburg, Indiana native proved to be better with Pedregon getting into the top half of the show after a 4.158 second run.

The Quaker State driver continued the momentum into the next two rounds of qualifying with two good passes that put him in the fourth spot overall going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

The elimination rounds started off good for Pedregon as he took the win in the first round defeating Jeff Arend. After his win he moved on to the second round where he faced off against Matt Hagan. The two-time champion had a good pass posting the second quickest pass of the round as he defeated Hagan to move on to the semi-finals.

Facing off against Ashley Force Hood in the next to last round, Pedregon had the advantage off the starting line but Force Hood had the difference made up by the time they went by the Christmas tree. She was able to hold on to the lead taking the win and ending Pedregon’s day.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action the first weekend of May. The Series heads to Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Illinois for the O’Reilly NHRA Midwest Nationals.

Trouble in Second Elimination Round Ends Day Early for Quaker State Driver

LAS VEGAS, NV (April 5, 2009) – The NHRA Funny Car Series made its first of two trips to The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this weekend for the running of the tenth annual NHRA SummitRacing.com Nationals.

Racing action began on Friday with qualifying rounds. In his first qualifying run, Pedregon turned in a clean pass putting the Quaker State Impala fifth on the charts after round one. With only one round completed on Friday, the Quaker State team looked forward to Saturday’s rounds in hopes of improving their spot.

The two-time champion didn’t have as great of a run in the second round on Saturday as his engine shut off at about the 600-foot mark causing him to have a slow run. However his third and final qualifying pass was his best run at 4.100 seconds, 302.62 miles per hour. With this strong pass, Pedregon was able to claim the No. 1 qualifying spot for the first time of the 2009 season.

Pedregon and the Quaker State team were ready for Sunday’s elimination rounds hoping to follow up their strong qualifying performance with a final round win, which would be their first of the season.

The Brownsburg, Indiana native had a good looking pass in the first elimination round defeating Del Worsham and moving on to round two where he was paired up with his brother Cruz.

Unfortunately for Pedregon trouble plagued his second pass in eliminations. The Quaker State driver dropped a cylinder before the 660-ft mark which caused his Impala to push to the left. Pedregon tried to keep his Quaker State machine going straight but crossed the centerline taking out the finish line timing cones. Pedregon was disqualified for crossing the centerline which caused the loss to his brother Cruz and ended his day early.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on April 16 – 19 for the running of the Summit Racing Equipment NHRA Southern Nationals at Atlanta Dragway in Commerce, Georgia.

Quaker State Driver Hoped for Better Finish at Sponsor’s Hometown Track

BAYTOWN, TX – (March 29, 2009) - Coming off of a final round appearance two weeks ago, Tony Pedregon and his Quaker State team hoped to continue the momentum gained in Phoenix and pull out another strong showing at Houston Raceway Park the home track for sponsor Quaker State.

Pedregon who has multiple wins at the track was set for the 22nd annual O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals presented by Pennzoil and hoping to add to his list of victories.

Qualifying rounds began on Friday and continued into Saturday with Pedregon struggling in his first two runs. The Quaker State driver broke on the burnout getting ready for his first pass and was unable to turn in a time. In his second qualifying pass the two-time champion lost his engine around the 660-foot mark with a pretty big fireball but was able to post a time for that run.

In his third and final pass the Brownsburg, Indiana native pulled off a good looking run that got him back in the show. With his 4.160 second run Pedregon ended up in the top half of the qualifying order in the ninth position.

During Sunday’s eliminations Pedregon earned a first round win over Mike Neff after making the second quickest pass of the round. His win also earned him lane choice in the next round where he faced off against his brother Cruz. Cruz was just a little too quick on the tree helping the Quaker State driver advance to the semifinals.

Unfortunately the Indiana native suffered a loss in the third round of eliminations in his run against Jack Beckman just falling short of a second consecutive final round appearance.

The NHRA Funny Car Series returns to action next weekend, April 2 – 5, for the running of the SummitRacing.com NHRA Nationals April 2 – 5, SummitRacing.com NHRA nationals at The Strip at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Quaker State Driver Falls Short of Repeat Victory in Gainesville

GAINESVILLE, Fla. (March 15, 2009) - After getting off to a slow start to the 2009 season, Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team entered the 40th Annual ACDelco NHRA Gatornationals with hopes of a repeat from one year ago where the two-time champion claimed his first victory of the season.

The Quaker State driver hit the track on Friday for the first two of four qualifying runs for the weekend. After a strong first pass, Pedregon experienced a little bit of trouble in the second round after his Quaker State machine let out a big boom with flashes of flames. The Brownsburg, Indiana native found himself sitting in the 11th spot overall after the two qualifying rounds were complete.

As Saturday rolled around the Quaker State team returned to the track in hopes of improving their qualifying position. In his third pass of the session Pedregon lost traction in his tires and had to lift just past the concrete pad. The final qualifying run proved to be the champion’s best pass moving the Quaker State driver back into the 11th position going into Sunday’s elimination rounds.

After two first round losses in the first two events of the season, Pedregon was looking forward to Sunday’s elimination rounds in hopes of repeating his victory in Gainesville from a year ago. Facing off against Ron Capps in the opening round, Pedregon pulled off the victory after Capps was late off the line. For the first time of the 2009 season Pedregon advanced to the second elimination round where he faced off against Del Worsham.

Pedregon once again found victory after Worsham had engine problems at the halfway point. The two-time champion won by over 100 feet earning a spot in the third round of eliminations. With a win against Matt Hagan in round three, Pedregon made his way to the Gatornationals finals for the second year in a row.

Pedregon faced off against Bob Tasca III for the final pass. The defending event champ left the line first and was pulling away when the engine in the Quaker State machine started to have issues allowing Tasca to drive by before the half-way point and on to victory.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to racing action on March 27 – 29 for the O’Reilly NHRA Spring Nationals at Houston Raceway Park in Houston, Texas.

Tony Pedregon Suffers First-Round Elimination Loss at Auto Club Raceway

POMONA, CA (February 9, 2008) – Tony Pedregon entered Pomona, California this weekend hoping for a little less dramatic start to the season than one year ago when the 2007 Champion lost an engine in elimination rounds sending him down the track in a ball of fire.

As the series hit the track of Auto Club Raceway for the Kragen O’Reilly NHRA Winternationals this past, the results were the complete opposite as persistent rains dampened the on-track activities from day one of qualifying all the way through Sunday’s elimination rounds.

Friday’s qualifying rounds were completely rained out however there was enough of a break in the rain on Saturday for the Funny Cars to get one round in.

Pedregon took to the track in his Quaker State Impala making a nice looking pass. His run, the only qualifying pass for the Quaker State driver of the weekend, put the Brownsburg, Indiana native sixth overall.

Rains continued to fall on Auto Club Raceway as the elimination rounds neared. The Funny Car division was able to get one round in before the rain once again postponed on-track activities

Pedregon faced off against Jim Head in the first round of eliminations for what appeared to be an easy win after Head lost traction early in his pass. However, the Quaker State driver was really loose and the car darted to the right crossing the center line. Pedregon’s run was disqualified and the two-time champion was done for the weekend.

The NHRA Funny Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to the track on February 20-22 for the Arizona NHRA Nationals at Firebird International Raceway in Phoenix, Arizona.

TONY PEDREGON ENDS 2008 SEASON FIFTH IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP POINT STANDINGS WHILE BROTHER CRUZ WINS TITLE

Second-Round Loss Dropped Tony One Spot in the Final Event at Pomona

POMONA, Calif. (November 16, 2008) – Tony Pedregon and the Quaker State team entered the Auto Club of Pomona for the final event of the 2008 NHRA POWERade Funny Car season this weekend. Pedregon took to the track for the 44th annual Automobile Club of Southern California NHRA Finals sitting fourth in the championship point standings looking to improve upon that position while his brother Cruz Pedregon, was in position as well to win the NHRA Funny Car Series title.

Quaker State® driver Cruz Pedregon backed up his brother's (Tony Pedregon) title from last year by claiming his second NHRA Funny Car Series title 16 years after his first championship. On his way to the title, Pedregon scored three final wins in the three final events of the season. Tony, the 2007 Champion aided his brother by defeating Robert Hight in the first round of eliminations securing the 2008 title for Cruz.

In his first round of qualifying, Tony Pedregon had a solid run taking the third spot in the line-up going into the second round. The second pass for the 2007 champion was not as good as he drove over the center line and wiped out both of the 1000-foot cones. With the incident stopping the clock, Pedregon did not have his time counted. After the round was complete, the Brownsburg, Indiana native ended up sixth overall following the two rounds.

Tony's third run saw strange flames coming out of his Impala that spelled the end of his effort. His final qualifying run saw trouble again as he lost traction smoking his tires. When he kicked the tires loose it blew the burst panel out, automatically deploying the parachutes and ending his pass. When all was said and done, Pedregon ended up eighth overall going into Sunday's elimination rounds.

In his first elimination pass, Tony Pedregon faced off against championship contender Robert Hight. The Indiana native crossed the stripe first and in doing so not only eliminated Hight from advancing in the elimination rounds but eliminated him from the championship handing the 2008 NHRA Funny Car Championship to his brother Cruz Pedregon who went on to take the win in the final round.

Unfortunately for Tony Pedregon, his day was cut short with a second round loss to Mike Neff.

Pedregon finished fifth in the final championship point standings after claiming four final wins in the 2008 season. His brother Cruz took the championship honors with Tim Wilkerson, Jack Beckman and Robert Hight also finishing in the top five.

Quaker State Driver Ends up Fourth in Championship Standings

CONCORD, NC (November 8, 2009) – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car season closed the 2009 season with the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track @ Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina this past weekend. Racing action began on Thursday with qualifying and was followed by full racing programs on Friday and Saturday. Kinser struggled a little in Friday’s competition but pulled out one final top-five finish during Saturday action before finishing fourth in the championship point standings.

The World Finals opened with qualifying sessions on Thursday night with Kinser making his way around the 0.4-mile oval of LMS with a lap of 13.869 seconds, quick enough for the fourth overall position.

In the second night of racing the Bloomington, Indiana native finished third in his heat race and seventh in the Crane Cams Dash earning himself a top-10 starting spot in the 30-lap A-main. Kinser struggled in the main event and took the checkered flag in the 17^th position.

On Saturday, Kinser and the Quaker State team set out to redeem themselves and did just that. The 20-time World of Outlaws Champion took the win in his heat race and finished fourth in the Crane Cams Dash. He started the A-main in the second row and crossed the start/finish line in the same position as he started, earning yet another top-five finish with a fourth-place run.

Kinser maintained the fourth position in the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Championship Standings, a position he has held for the majority of the 2009 season.

Quaker State Driver Holds down Fourth Position in Championship Standings

KILGORE, TX (October 25, 2009) – After taking a well-deserved weekend off, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returned to action at Lone Star Speedway in Texas for one night of racing. Kinser continued his strong season by taking the checkered flag in the third position in the feature event. The 20-time champion remains in the fourth position in the championship point standings going into the final race weekend of the season in a couple of weeks.

 After qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the 12^th position, the Bloomington, Indiana native won his heat race advancing himself into the Crane Cams Dash. The six-lap shootout used to determine the first 10 starting positions of the A-feature yielded a fourth-place finish for the Quaker State driver.

Starting from the second row, Kinser recovered from getting completely sideways in turn two of the opening lap of the A-feature to finish in the third position.

The World of Outlaws will again take another weekend off before capping off a busy season with the third annual World Finals at The Dirt Track at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Qualifying begins on Thursday, November 5 with racing action lasting through Saturday night.

Quaker State Driver Scores a Third-Place Finish with 2009 Winding Down

ELBRIDGE, NY (October 11, 2009) – The World of Outlaws made a trip to Rolling Wheels Raceway Park on Saturday night for The New York 25. Quaker State’s Steve Kinser has won at the track in each of the last two series races and holds a record 10 wins in his career at the 5/8-mile track. In addition, the 20-time champion has finished in the top-10 in all 26 of his career starts at the facility.

 After qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the runner-up spot, Kinser went on the finish his heat race in second as well. Next up for the Bloomington, Indiana native was the Crane Cams Dash used to determine the first 10 starting positions of the A-feature. Kinser went on to finish third in the dash putting himself on the second starting row for the 25-lap A-main.

Kinser finished third on Saturday night in the Quaker State Maxim to continue his impressive streak at Rolling Wheels. The 20-time series champion has now finished in the top-10 in all 27 of his starts at the semi-banked 5/8-mile

The World of Outlaws will take a weekend off before returning to action on Saturday, October 24 at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.

Quaker State Driver Notches Another Top-10 Finish with Eighth-Place Run at Williams Grove

MECHANICSBURG, PA (October 4, 2009) – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returned to the famed Williams Grove Speedway this past weekend for the National Open. Racing action was scheduled to kick off on Friday but rains forced the cancellation of the evening’s events with concentration shifting to the finale on Saturday with the winner taking home a $50,000 prize.

Kinser has won the National Open on four occasions and had 38 wins at the famed semi-banked half-mile track to his credit. In addition, the King of Outlaws has well over 100 top-10 finishes at the track.

Saturday’s activities began with qualifying where the Bloomington, Indiana native qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the 16^th position. Kinser went on to finish his heat race in the 11^th position forcing him to compete in the 12-lap B-main to transfer into the feature event. With a second-place finish in the B-main, Kinser transferred to the A-main. After starting in the 16^th spot, the 20-time champion powered his way into the top-10 in the 40 laps of competition and finished in the eighth position.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action next weekend at Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York. Racing action is set for Saturday, October 10.

Saturday’s Event at Lernerville Speedway was Canceled because of Rain

September 27, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series was set for two nights of racing action this weekend with events at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on Friday and Lernerville Speedway in Pennsylvania on Saturday.

Kinser has an astounding record at the high-banked half-mile of Eldora Speedway with 34 A-feature wins and 15- top-10 finishes and was hoping to add another win to his resume in Friday’s event at the track.

The Bloomington, Indiana native qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the sixth position before finishing 10^th in his heat race. Because of his heat race finish the King of Outlaws had to compete in the 12-lap B-main in order to qualify for the feature event. Kinser won the B-main advancing himself into the A-main. Starting from the 13^th position, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion gained four positions to move into the top-10 and finish ninth.

Saturday’s race at Lernerville Speedway was postponed by rain and rescheduled for the end of October.

Kinser maintained his fourth-place position in the World of Outlaws Championship standings with just eight events remaining in the 2009 season.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is a stop at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. The double-header will begin on Friday, October 2 with racing action continuing on Saturday, October 3.

Quaker State Driver Maintains Fourth Position in Championship Standings

September 20, 2009 – Steve Kinser scored an 11^th-place finish and fifth-place run in two events this past week of racing action for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. With two stops in this week’s schedule, the Quaker State driver was able to maintain his fourth-place position in the championship point standings.

The series made their first stop of the week on the semi-banked 3/8-mile track of Clay County Fair Speedway. The midweek contest saw Kinser qualify the Quaker State Maxim in the 22^nd position before finishing his heat race in the fifth spot. The King of Outlaws went on to finish the A-main just outside the top-10 coming home in the 11^th position.

Following Wednesday’s event in Iowa the series moved on Deer Creek Speedway for some Saturday Night racing action. After qualifying in the seventh position at the state-of-the-art 3/8-mile track, Kinser went on to win his heat race in the Quaker State Maxim. The Bloomington, Indiana native earned a ninth-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash putting him in fifth row for the start of the A-main. Gaining four spots in the 35-lap feature event, Kinser earned yet another top-five finish with a fifth-place run.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, September 25 at the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio followed by a stop at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania on Saturday, September 26.




















 

Quaker State Driver Finishes Eighth in Earlier Event at Cottage Grove Speedway

September 13, 2009 – Steve Kinser and the Quaker State team continued a busy schedule of racing action remaining on the West Coast for events at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon and Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. While the Quaker State driver fared well at Cottage Grove earning a top-10 finish, he found trouble in the 56^th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions in Chico.

With Monday’s Labor Day race falling to rain the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series moved on to Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon on Tuesday. Kinser enjoys three victories at the ½-mile track and looked to add another mark to the win column in Tuesday’s race. The King of Outlaws qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the 14^th spot before finishing seventh in his heat race. Missing the transfer spot by one position, Kinser moved on to the B-main to get qualified for the feature event and took the checkered flag first. After starting in the 14^th position, the Quaker State driver was able to gain several spots to finish in the eighth position collecting yet another top-10 finish.

The Series took a couple of days off before heading to Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California for three nights of racing action. The first two nights of the 56^th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions split the field with the finale on Saturday being just features. The winner of the 40-lap main event was set to earn $50,000.

Kinser and the Quaker State team were in the first group to take to the track qualifying 20^th on the high-banked ¼-mile oval. A fifth-place finish in his heat race transferred the Bloomington, Indiana native to the A-feature where he started in the 20^th spot. Struggling just a little, Kinser lost a couple of positions to finish 23^rd for the night. After the second night of qualifying the Bloomington, Indiana native started the final night 46^th in event points putting him in the C-main where the Quaker State driver got upside down in the 15-lap race. With the option of using a provisional to start Saturday night’s main event, Kinser decided not to make the start due to the fact that any points earned were awarded for showing up and he could not gain any additional points toward his championship run.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns from the West Coast heading next to the Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer, Iowa on Wednesday, September 16 followed by a stop at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota on Saturday, September 19.

Quaker State Driver Remains Fourth in Championship Point Standings

September 8, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series had a busy Labor Day Weekend with three events scheduled over four days. The first stop for the tour was the high-banked 3/10-mile of Skagit Speedway in Washington where Kinser had mixed results, struggling on the first night and pulling out a top-10 finish on the second night. The Labor Day event at Grays Harbor Raceway was cancelled due to persistent rain showers throughout the day.

Kinser struggled in Friday night’s event at Skagit Speedway qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the 24^th spot. He followed that up with a fifth-place finish in his heat race before ending up 23^rd in the 30-lap A-main.

The Quaker State team regrouped for Saturday night’s finale at Skagit but struggled once again in qualifying this time earning the 28^th spot. After finishing seventh in his heat race, Kinser had to move on to the B-main to qualify for the feature event. With only the top four finishers transferring to the feature, the Bloomington, Indiana native pulled out a third-place finish allowing him to advance to the night’s main event. Starting in the 23^rd spot for the 40-lap feature, Kinser worked his way through the field and pulled out a top-10 finish for the night.

The Gold Rush Tour continues for the World of Outlaws on Tuesday, September 8 at Cottage Grove Speedway in Oregon, followed by three nights of racing in the 56th Annual Gold Cup Race of Champions at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California beginning on Thursday, September 10 and ending on Saturday, September 12.

Quaker State Driver Scores a Pair of Top-Five Finishes in Two Nights of Racing Action

EDMONTON, ALBERTA (August 30, 2009) – Steve Kinser and the Quaker State team continue their quest for a record setting 21^st Series Championship by turning in solid runs each and every time they take to the track. This past weekend’s event at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada was no different with Kinser earning two top-five finishes in two nights of racing action at the 3/8-mile track.

Kinser made history at the track claiming the inaugural race back in 2007. Having finished fourth or better in all four of his starts at the Canadian track, the 20-time series champion looked for nothing short of a top-five finish in both events this past weekend.

In the first night of competition Kinser qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the fifth position followed by a fifth-place finish in his heat race. With a fourth-place run in the Crane Cams Dash, the Bloomington, Indiana native earned a second-row starting spot for the 35-lap A-main. Kinser battled Donny Schatz early in the race moving into the third position before taking on the second spot on lap10. The former champion set his sights on the leader but had to settle for second-place.

“We definitely gained a lot tonight from where we have been the last three or four races,” said Kinser. “I feel like we have a car that we can get up front and we’ll work with it and see what we got tomorrow night.”

The Quaker State team continued a strong showing in the second night of competition with Kinser once again qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the fifth position. A third-place finish in his heat race and fourth-place run in the Crane Cams Dash put the Indiana native in a solid starting-position for the A-main. Rolling off from the fourth position, the Quaker State driver picked off a spot on the opening lap before finishing third in the 35-lap feature. His third-place run marked the 20-time champion’s 40^th top-10 finish of the season.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is a stop at Skagit Speedway in Washington on Friday, September 4 and Saturday, September 5.

Quaker State Driver Remains Fourth in Championship Point Standings

AUGUST 23, 2009 – After taking a weekend off from regular action, Steve Kinser and the Quaker State team headed to North Dakota for two nights of racing over the weekend. Kinser kept his steak of solid runs going scoring a top-five and top-10 finish and maintaining the fourth position in the championship point standings.

With Wednesday’s scheduled event at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota being postponed due to heavy rains the series turned their attention to the weekend’s events at River Cities Speedway and Dacotah Speedway.

Kinser brought the Quaker State maxim home to a fifth-place finish in Friday night’s event at the high-banked bullring of River Cities Speedway after starting in the seventh-spot. Kicking the night off with a 10^th-place qualifying run, the 20-time champion went on the win his heat race. A seventh-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put the Quaker State driver on the fourth row for the start of the 30-lap A-maim before finishing in the top-five.

With the momentum of a solid run on Friday the Bloomington, Indiana native entered the high-banked 3/8-mile track of Dacotah Speedway with hopes of at least another top-five finish. Entering the event as the reigning race winner the Quaker State driver got off to a strong start qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the top spot.  He followed that qualifying effort up with a win in his heat race and 10^th-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash. The King of Outlaws finished the 35-lap A-main just outside the top-five with a sixth-place run.

Next up for the World of Outlaws is the third annual Oil City Cup at Castrol Raceway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Racing is set to start on Friday, August 28 with additional action on Saturday, August 29.

Quaker State Driver Remains Fourth in the Championship Point Standings

August 9, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series spent the weekend at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri for two nights of racing action. The Inaugural Ironman 55 was kicked off at the high-banked 1/3-mile bullring on Friday, August 7 with the finale that paid $20,000 to the winner taking place on Saturday, August 8.

With three A-feature wins at the track under his belt, Kinser hoped to add another win to his 2009 resume as he continues to pursue a record 21^st series championship.

Kicking off the weekend on a high note, the Bloomington, Indiana native turned in the quickest time during the qualifying session with a 10.209 second lap around the fast oval. Following that up with a runner-up finish in his heat race, Kinser went on to finish eighth in the Crane Cams Dash earning a fourth-row started spot in the A-main. The Quaker State driver finished ninth in the 30-lap main event earning another top-10 finish.

With the first night of competition completed, Kinser returned for Saturday night’s action and qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the eighth position. The King of Outlaws scored a fourth-place run in his heat race before the evening’s main event. After starting the feature in the 15^th position the 20-time champion finished the 55-lap A-main just outside the top-10 in the 11^th spot.

With his ninth-place finish in the opener at I-55 Raceway, Kinser picked up his 36th Top-10 of the season. The 20-time series champion remains fourth in points and is just 24 markers behind Saldana as the pair battles for the third spot.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will take a weekend off before returning to racing action on Wednesday, August 19 at Deer Creek Speedway in Spring Valley, Minnesota. The series will then move on to River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota on August 21 and Dacotah Speedway in Mandan, North Dakota on August 22.

Twenty-Time Champion Continues Consistent Run Toward Record 21^st Championship

August 2, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series rounded out a busy month of racing with a stop across the border for two nights of racing action at Ohsweken Speedway in Ontario, Canada. Following the trip north the series then moved back to the states to kick of the month of August with an event at K-C Raceway in Alma, Ohio.

Kinser who has finished fourth or better in every race at the 3/8-mile of Ohsweken qualified his Quaker State Maxim in the ninth position during the first night of competition.  The 20-time champion went on to finish second in his heat race followed by a fifth-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash. With that run, Kinser started the 30-lap A-main from the third row before earning a top-five finish in his Quaker State Maxim by taking the checkered flag in the fourth spot.

The second night of competition proved to be another good showing for Kinser and the Quaker State team with the Bloomington, Indiana native qualifying in the 10^th position and finishing second once again in his heat race. A sixth-place run in the Crane Cams Dash gave the 20-time World of Outlaws champion a great starting spot for the main event. After 30 laps of racing action, Kinser wound up in the 10^th spot with his Quaker State Maxim.

Following the trip across the border the series moved back south for a stop at KC-Raceway in Ohio. Kinser had three career wins at the high-banked 3/8-mile bullring going into Saturday’s event.

With a 12^th-place qualifying run and a second-place finish in his heat race, Kinser went on to finish in the runner-up spot in the Crane Cams Dash earning a front-row starting position in the A-main. After starting the race in the second position, Kinser battled for the lead but could not make the pass. In the closing laps of the 40-lap event he again found himself in a battle but this time for the second spot. The Indiana native was able to hold on to the runner-up position for the checkered flag and earn his 24^th top-five finish of the season.

The 20-time series champion has racked up 36 top-10 finishes this season with 24 of those being top-five performances. He remains fourth in the championship point standings.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will return to action with the inaugural Ironman 55 Friday, August 7 and Saturday, August 8 at I-55 Raceway near St. Louis, Missouri.

Quaker State Driver Scores 22^nd Top-Five Finish of the Season

July 27, 2009 – Following another busy week of racing, Quaker State driver Steve Kinser turned in mixed results after competing at three different tracks. The first stop for the series was at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania for the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup. Following that event the series headed to central Pennsylvania for the Summer Nationals at the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Virginia for what was two nights of scheduled racing action with the weekend rounded out by a stop at the fast high-banked half-mile of Lebanon Valley Speedway in New York.

Kicking off the week was the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup where Kinser was the defending champion. Unfortunately rain postponed the event from Tuesday to Wednesday but the cars were able to take to the track on the second attempt. After qualifying 16^th, Kinser took the win in his heat race. A seventh-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put the 20-time champion in the fourth row for the feature event where he finished 13^th.

The series moved on to the famed Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania to kick the weekend off with the Summer Nationals. Kinser came out of the box strong on the first night of competition qualifying his Quaker State Maxim in the third position and bringing home a third-place run in his heat race. Starting the A-main in the 11^th spot, Kinser ended up 12th after 25 laps of competition at the semi-banked half-mile track.

The second night of competition was eventually cancelled after three rain delays and several attempts to work the track back in. With over half the program completed the A-feature will be run on Friday, October 2 when the series returns to the historic half-mile track.

Next up was a stop at the high-banked half-mile of Lebanon Valley Speedway where Kinser has won nine times in his career. The Bloomington, Indiana native started the main event from the pole after winning the Crane Cams Dash and ran in the second spot for the entirety of the 25-lap race. With his runner-up finish the 20-time champion earned his 22^nd top-five finish of the season aboard the Quaker State Maxim.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series heads north to Ohswekend Speedway in Ohsweken, Ontario, Canada next for a double-header beginning on Tuesday, July 28^th. After two nights of competition there the series will head back to the states to Chilicothe, Ohio and the K-C Raceway on August 1^st.

Twenty-Time Champion Struggled at Eldora over the Weekend

July 19, 2009 – Another busy week of racing action was in store for Steve Kinser and the Quaker State team with three stops beginning with the 21^st Annual Brad Doty Classic at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio. Wrapping up the week was a double-header at Eldora Speedway which included the 26^th edition of the Kings Royal.

The 20-time champion started the week off on a great note by winning the Brad Doty Classic for the second time in his career. Kinser won the inaugural Brad Doty Classic in 1989 and was able to pick up another win in the special event on Wednesday claiming his second victory of the 2009 season.

After qualifying ninth and winning his heat race, the Quaker State driver earned a third row starting position in the A-main with a sixth-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash. After taking the lead on the 35^th lap and leading the remaining five circuits, the Bloomington, Indiana native crossed the start finish line on the point earning his 552^nd career win.

 “We have run good here every time we have come me,” noted Kinser. “Karl (Kinser) and me won races here in the late 70's and I'm giving up my age there, but everyone knows how old I am anyway, so it doesn't matter. I've always liked this place and it's a completely different race track now. I've won a lot of races here.”

Following Wednesday’s night win, the Quaker State team headed over to the famed Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio for two nights of racing action. The Knight before the Kings Royal was held on Friday with the Kings Royal finale on Saturday night paying $50,000 to the winner.

On the first night of racing Kinser, who led all drivers with six wins in the event, qualified his Quaker State Maxim in the fourth spot and followed that up with another win in his heat race. After starting the A-main in the 11^th spot, Kinser took the checkered flag in the same position finishing 11^th.

On the second night at Eldora, Kinser qualified in the 21^st position and finished second in his heat race. A sixth-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put the Quaker State driver in the sixth starting position for the 40-lap A-main where he finished a disappointing 19^th to round out the weekend.

The busy summer continues for the World of Outlaws Series with four stops this week beginning on Tuesday, July 21 at Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. The weekend will kick off with a double header at Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania beginning on Friday, July 24 with the series rounding out the weekend with a final stop at Lebanon Valley Speedway in West Lebanon, New York on Sunday, July 26.

Twenty–Time Champion Extends Series Lead of Most Top–10’s to 29

JULY 12, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series was busy this past week with three events in five days. The Series made a mid–week stop at 34 Raceway in Iowa followed by two weekend events at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin on Saturday and Cedar lake Speedway in New Richmond, Wisconsin on Sunday. Kinser came out of the trio with two top–five finishes all while extending his series–leading top–10 finishes to 29.

After finishing second in last year’s event at the high–banked 3/8–mile, Kinser entered Wednesday’s race at 34 Raceway with hopes of notching another win for the season. After qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the 17^th position the 20–time champion came back and finished sixth in his heat race. The Bloomington, Indiana native had to compete in the B–main to qualify for the feature event and took the win to advance. Kinser started the A–main from the 17^th position and gained four spots in the 35 laps of competition to finish 13^th for the evening.

Entering Saturday’s event at Charter Raceway Park as the defending race winner, Kinser hoped for better results than Wednesday night. With a ninth–place qualifying run and a win in his heat race the Quaker State driver got off to a good start. Kinser followed those up with a second–place finish in the Crane Cams Dash to earn a front row starting position in the A–main. The 20–time champion battled early in the race for the second spot before settling into third where he took the checkered flag.

In the final night of competition, the Quaker State driver had another strong showing qualifying eighth and winning his heat race again. Kinser finished seventh in the Crane Cams Dash at the high–banked 3/8–mile of Cedar Lake Speedway putting him in the fourth row for the start of the 30–lap A–main. Gaining a couple of positions before the checkered flag waved, the Indiana native brought his Quaker State Maxim home to a fifth–place finish.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series continues a busy schedule as they take on three events in the next week. The first stop is another mid–week race at Limaland Motorsports Park in Lima, Ohio on Wednesday, July 15 followed by a double–header over the weekend on Friday and Saturday night, July 17 – 18 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Friday’s Event at Huset’s Speedway Falls to Rain

July 5, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series headed north to the upper Midwest for the holiday weekend for two scheduled events. The first stop was at Huset’s Speedway in South Dakota on Friday, July 3 followed by a stop at Eagle Raceway in Nebraska on Saturday. However, Mother Nature changed plans as rain forced the cancellation of Friday’s event at Huset’s with the Quaker State team turning their attention to the race at Eagle Raceway on Saturday night.

Going into Saturday’s event, Kinser had an unmatched record at the high-banked 1/3-mile track of Eagle Raceway with 24 career wins including 15 A-feature events. With his most recent victory coming in 2005, the Quaker State driver was hoping to add another win and gain some points in the championship battle.

After qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the sixth position, the 20-time champion went on to finish third in his heat race. Starting from the sixth row in the 12^th position the Bloomington, Indiana native had his work cut out for him with only 40 laps in the A-main. Kinser was able to gain a spot and finish just outside the top-10 in the 11^th position.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is a midweek stop at 34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa on Wednesday, July 8. After a few days off the series will move on to the state of Wisconsin for an event at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam on Saturday, July 11 followed by a stop at Cedar Lake Speedway in New Richmond on Sunday, July 12 to round out the weekend.

Twenty-time Champion Continues March Toward 21^st Series Title

June 28, 2009 – Rounding out a busy month of racing action, the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series took to the track for two nights of intense racing action with stops at the U.S. 36 Raceway for the Missouri High-Banked Nationals on Friday, June 26 and Knoxville Raceway on Saturday, June 27. Quaker State’s Steve Kinser picked up two more top-10 finishes over the two nights of racing extending his series lead to 27 for the season.

The Bloomington, Indiana native kicked off the weekend with a 12^th-place qualifying run at the high-banked 3/8-mile of U.S. 36 Raceway. A win in his heat race advanced the Quaker State driver into the Crane Cams Dash where he finished ninth earning himself a fourth-row starting position for the A-main. The 20-time champion was able to pick up a couple of positions in the 35-lap feature finishing seventh for the evening adding to his growing string of top-10 finishes.

The Series moved on to Knoxville Raceway for Saturday night’s action where Kinser has won nearly 60 times over the last 31 years. After qualifying in the ninth position, the Quaker State driver won his heat race for the second night in a row and finished in the runner-up spot in the Crane Cams Dash. That second-place finish earned him a front-row starting spot for the A-Main. After starting from the second position, Kinser finished the 25-lap feature in the fourth spot in his Quaker State Maxim bringing his current total of top-10 finishes to 27.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will celebrate the Fourth of July holiday with two nights of racing action beginning on Friday, July 3 at Huset’s Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota. Following the Huset’s event will be racing action at Eagle Raceway in Eagle, Nebraska on Saturday, July 4.

Quaker State Driver Continues Streak of Top-10 Finishes

June 21, 2009 – The World of Outlaws Sprint car Series had a busy weekend of racing with three nights of racing action beginning at River Cities Speedway in Grand Forks, North Dakota on Friday, June 19 followed by events at Red River Valley Speedway in West Fargo, North Dakota on Saturday, June 20 and Nodak Speedway in Minot, North Dakota on Sunday, June 21.

Kinser kicked off the weekend with a strong showing at the high-banked 3/10-mile River Cities Speedway. After qualifying in the sixth spot, the 20-time World of Outlaws champions scored a pair of wins by taking the top spot in his heat race as well as the Crane Cams Dash. With the Dash win, Kinser started the 40-lap A-main from the pole. The Quaker State driver battled side-by-side with eventual race winner Donny Schatz from the drop of the green flag before losing the second spot on the final lap to finish third.

 “I should have just stayed on the top the last lap,” said Kinser. “I tried to go to the bottom and missed the bottom and got hung up and let Joey (Saldana) get by me at the end.”

Saturday brought on the high-banked half-mile oval of Red River Valley Speedway where Kinser is the winningest driver in World of Outlaws competition. A seventh-place qualifying run led to another heat race win for the Bloomington, Indiana native. After starting in the 11^th spot for the 30-lap A-main, Kinser gained a couple of spots to finish ninth and keep his streak of top-10 finishes going.

The final night of racing action was at the high-banked 3/8-mile oval of Nodak Speedway. After qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the fifth spot Kinser went on to finish fourth in his heat race. An eighth-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put the Quaker State driver in the fourth starting row for the A-main. After 35 laps of racing action Kinser brought his Quaker State Maxim home to another top-10 finish taking the checkered flag in the ninth position.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on Friday, June 26 at U.S. 36 Raceway in Cameron, Missouri followed by an event at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa on Saturday, June 27, 2009.

Quaker State Driver Scores a Top-10 and Top-Five Finish in Two Nights of Racing

May 30, 2009 - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series continued their busy schedule of racing with two events this past weekend. After racing on the East Coast a week ago, the series moved back to the Midwest with visits to Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio on Friday night and I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan on Saturday.

Kicking off the weekend was a night full of racing action at the 1/3-mile high-banked oval of Attica Raceway Park. Kinser, with four victories at the track, was looking for his second victory of the season as he took to the high-banked Ohio bullring. After a slow start to the evening with a 36^th-place qualifying effort, the Quaker State driver earned a fourth-place finish in his heat race. Starting the A-feature from deep in the field, Kinser came from the back to finish 10^th in the Quaker State Maxim adding to his series-best record of 19 top-10 finishes.

Following Friday's event the series moved on to Lake Odessa, Michigan to take on the half-mile oval of I-96 Speedway. Kinser was the defending winner at the track where he set a new track record in time trials, finished second in his heat race, won the Crane Cams Dash and led all but one lap in the main event one year ago.

Looking for a repeat of last year Kinser started the night off with a strong qualifying run placing his Quaker State Maxim in the third spot during time trials. A second-place finish in his heat race put the 20-time World of Outlaws champion in the Crane Cams Dash where he finished seventh.

After lining up seventh for the 30-lap A-main Kinser used a strong start to gain a couple of positions on the opening lap. Late in the race the Bloomington, Indiana native was able to snag the runner-up spot on a restart before taking the checkered flag.

With his strong weekend, Kinser moved to within 14 points of the lead in the series championship standings as he pursues his record 21^st championship title.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action next weekend for two nights of racing at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee. Racing action begins on Friday, June 5 with a second event on Saturday June, 6.

Quaker State Driver Continues to Record Top-Five and Top-10 Finishes

May 25, 2009 - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series was busy over the Memorial Day weekend with a trio of races that kicked off on Friday, May 22 at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. Following the event at Lowe's was a stop at Virginia Motor Speedway for the Paul Sawyer Memorial. The final event run on Memorial Day was at Canadaigua Speedway in New York.

With two career wins in Charlotte, the 20-time series champion looked to continue his strong start to the 2009 season as he pursues his 21^st career championship.

Kinser kicked off the weekend by qualifying his Quaker State Maxim in the third spot followed by winning his heat race. A sixth-place run in the Crane Cams Dash put the Bloomington, Indiana native in the third row for the start of the 30-lap A-main. Kinser used a strong restart on the 22^nd lap of the feature event to gain a couple of spots putting himself in the fifth position where he took the checkered flag.

The series moved on to the semi-banked half-mile of Virginia Motor Speedway in Jamaica, Virginia for Saturday night's event. Kinser who has won in nearly every state he has competed was looking to add the state of Virginia to that list over the weekend. The Quaker State driver got off to a good start qualifying in the sixth position and finishing fourth in his heat race. After an 11^th-place start in the A-main, Kinser was able to score another top-10 finish by bringing his Quaker State Maxim home to a ninth-place finish scoring his 17^th top-10 finish in just 20 events run so far.

Capping off the holiday weekend was a stop at Canadaigua Speedway, a semi-banked half-mile track in Canadaigua, New York. Kinser led all drivers with four wins at the track going into the Memorial Day event.

After turning in the fifth fastest lap in time trials and finishing second in his heat race, Kinser came all the way from sixth to win the Crane Cams Dash to earn the pole for the main event. Starting from the point in the 25-lap A-main, Kinser battled for the lead in the first eight laps before being passed and dropping to the runner-up spot. The 20-time World of Outlaws champion wound up second in the Quaker State Maxim.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is a stop at Attica Raceway Park in Attica, Ohio on Friday, May 29 followed by a visit to I-96 Speedway in Lake Odessa, Michigan on Saturday May 30.

Twenty-Time Champion Remains Second in Championship Point Standings

May 15, 2009 - The World of Outlaws had a busy week of racing with three events scheduled in two different states. Making their first trip of the season to the East Coast the Series was set for an event at Delaware International Speedway on Tuesday, May 12 and two nights of racing action at Williams Grove Speedway beginning on Thursday, May 14.

Kinser claimed the win at the semi-banked half-mile of Delaware International Speedway back in 2003. The 20-time champion also won at William Grove Speedway last spring to earn his 38^th career victory at the half-mile oval.

During Tuesday's event, Kinser qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the 19^th position during time trials following that up with a heat race win. A second-place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put the Bloomington, Indiana native on the outside of the front row for the A-main.

Once the green flag waved, the Quaker State driver powered his way to the lead in turns one and two after a second restart. However, another incident brought out the red flag causing the field to make a third restart to get the racing under way. After 30 laps of racing the 20-time champion took the checkered flag in the second spot recording another top-five finish.

With Kinser's second-place finish he earned his series leading 15^th top-10 finish of the season as he continues his march toward a record-setting 21^st championship.

The series then moved over to the famed Williams Grove Speedway for two nights of racing action. With persistent rains on Thursday the opening night at the speedway was cancelled making it a one-day show. However the weather was more cooperative for Friday's event allowing the cars to take to the track.

After qualifying in the 23^rd position, Kinser turned in a third-place run in his heat race transferring him into the A-feature. Starting from the 21^st position, the Quaker State driver had engine troubles that ended his night early and put him in the 24^th finishing position.

Kinser remains second in the championship point standings, 39 points out of first.

The World of Outlaws return to action Friday, May 22 at The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina. The event will be televised live on SPEED beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Twenty-Time Champion Finishes 21^st after Suffering a Broken Pinion Gear

ROSSBURG, OH (May 10, 2009) - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series headed to the famed Eldora Speedway to open its season this past weekend. After Friday night's events were cancelled because of rain Steve Kinser and his Quaker State team continued their champion run by leading much of the A-main on Saturday night before breaking a pinion gear with just over a lap remaining. The 20-time Champion managed to finish 21^st in his Quaker State Maxim, only his second finish outside the top-10 this season.

With four heat races in the books, the skies opened and the rain began to fall causing Series officials to cancel the remaining events on Friday night. Kinser, the winningest driver in the history of Eldora Speedway, had to wait until Saturday night to get back to racing action.

The Bloomington, Indiana native came out of the box strong on Saturday night qualifying the Quaker State Maxim in the 12^th position. With a pair of second-place finishes in his heat race and the Crane Cams Dash, Kinser put himself on the outside of the front row to start the 30-lap A-main.

The 20-time World of Outlaws Champion took the lead on the second lap but ended up in a two-car battle swapping the top spot in the opening laps of the main event. It was on lap four that Kinser retook the lead and opened up a sizeable margin on the second-place car. Kinser remained on top of the leader board until the final laps of the race.

The Indiana native was well on his way to his second win of the 2009 season when a pinion gear broke with just two laps remaining dropping him in the field before finishing in the 21^st position.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series will return to action on Tuesday, May 12 at Delaware International Speedway in Delmar, Delaware. Following that event the Series moves on to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsville, Pennsylvania for a double-header on Thursday, May 14 and Friday May 15.

Quaker State Driver Maintains Point Lead for Second Week in a Row

KNOXVILLE, IA (May 2, 2009) - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series headed to the Midwest this weekend with scheduled stops at Huset's Speedway in South Dakota and the famed Knoxville Raceway in Iowa.

Flooding and wet weather forced the cancellation of the event at Huset's Speedway on Friday causing the Series to turn their attention to Saturday's running at the semi-banked half-mile of Knoxville Raceway.

Steve Kinser was coming off his first win of the 2009 season with nearly 60 wins at the famed track going into Saturday's event.

The Bloomington, Indiana native won his heat race after qualifying in the eighth position. He followed that up with a fifth-place finish in the six-lap Crane Cams Dash. Starting from the fifth spot Kinser fell back a few spots early in the event before working his way back to the front. Using a late-race restart to snag the third position the Quaker State driver finished third to earn his series best 14^th top-10 finish in just 15 events.

"I didn't run the best race in the world in the feature," said Kinser. "I was in the wrong spot going into (turn) one and got kind of tangled up and lost a couple of spots. Then I just lost the balance on the car a little bit. It wasn't a bad run, we just need to be a little better."

Kinser remains the points leader with a 25-point advantage over the second-place driver.

The World of Outlaws return to action at the famed Eldora Speedway in Ohio on Friday, May 8 and Saturday, May 9.

Twenty-Time World of Outlaws Champion Takes over Points Lead after Victory

April 26, 2009 - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series continued its string of visits to the high-banked bullrings with stops at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas and Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana this past weekend.

Steve Kinser, who had two career wins at Riverside and seven at Tri-State Speedway with the series, entered the weekend second in points and looking for his first win of the 2009 season.

Kinser qualified 10^th quickest the high-banked ¼-mile Riverside International Speedway and followed that up with another heat-race win.  A ninth-place run in the Crane Cams Dash earned the Bloomington, Indiana native a top-10 starting position in the A-main. After 40 laps of racing action, Kinser brought the No. 11 Quaker State Maxim home to an eighth-place finish.

The series then moved on to Tri-State Speedway for Saturday night's event. The last time Kinser won at the high-banked ¼-mile track was back in 2007. After starting from the pole with a Crane Cams Dash win, Kinser returned to Victory Lane after winning Saturday Night's race at the track. The Quaker State driver fell back to the fourth position just after the green flag waved but moved back into the third position before regaining the runner-up spot. Kinser wound up leading just three laps in the feature but was at the point when the checkered flag fell.

Kinser took over the points lead with his victory and earned his 551^st World of Outlaws career win.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Series is a stop at Huset's Speedway in Brandon, South Dakota on May 1, 2009 followed by some racing action at Knoxville Raceway in Knoxville, Iowa on Saturday, May 2, 2009.

King of Outlaws Scores another Top-Five Finish at Paducah

April 18, 2008 – The World of Outlaws headed to the Midwest for the first time of the season this past weekend for a doubleheader at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky and I-55 Raceway in Missouri.

Racing action began on Friday at the high-banked 3/8-mile track of Paducah International Raceway. Steve Kinser had finished on the podium in three of his four career starts at Paducah in his Quaker State Maxim prior to Friday night’s event.

The Bloomington, Indiana native started the night off on a strong note by winning his heat race after qualifying the No. 11 Quaker State Maxim in the 13^th spot. The 20-time World of Outlaws champion finished seventh in the Crane Cams Dash after six laps of racing action putting himself in the seventh starting spot for the 30-lap A-main.

The Quaker State driver finished fourth in the feature picking up his series leading 11^th top-10 finish of the season while remaining second in the series point standings just 28 markers behind the leader.

Following the event at Paducah the series moved on to the high-banked 1/3-mile oval of I-55 Raceway. Unfortunately persistent rain caused officials to cancel Saturday night’s (April 18) event. The series will return to the race track on August 7 – 8 for a two-day event that will pay $20,000 to win.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, April 24 at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Arkansas followed by a visit to Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, April 25 in Haubstadt, Indiana.

Quaker State Driver Remains Second in the World of Outlaws Point Standings

HOUSTON, TX (April 12, 2009) – Steve Kinser, 20-time World of Outlaws (WoO) champion, continues his pursuit of number 21 with a solid weekend in Texas behind the wheel of his Quaker State Maxim. After a pair of top-five finishes in a Texas double-header, Kinser sits second in the standings, just 24 points out of the top spot after 10 races.

The race on Friday night was the first for the WoO at Lone Star Speedway, Kilgore, TX since 2004 and a huge crowd welcomed the series back to the blazing fast half-mile track to watch Kinser wage a great battle with race winner Joey Saldana and defending WoO champion and current points leader Donny Schatz to finish third.

The “King” of the Outlaws qualified 11^th and went on to win his heat race.  His fifth place finish in the Crane Cams Dash put him on the inside of row three for the start of the 30-lap A-Main. In a race slowed eight times by caution, Kinser was able to run with the leaders but had to settle for the final podium position at the checkered flag for his ninth top-10 finish of the season.

“We were a little off in the feature,” stated Kinser. “We'll go back at it tomorrow night. We were pretty consistent, but we still need to be a little bit quicker. We made some changes tonight and it didn't really seem to fit what I wanted to do. We'll just plugging away, that's all we can do.”

Saturday night the touring winged sprint car warriors took on the high-banked 1/4-mile Houston Raceway Park, Baytown, TX.  Kinser qualified the Quaker State car 10^th and went on to finish second in his heat race.  A second place finish in the Crane Cam Dash put him on the outside of the front row for the feature.

Battling the usual suspects for the lead throughout the entire 40-lap race, Kinser had to settle for fifth in the final finishing order behind Saldana, who picked up his second consecutive win, Schatz, Craig Dollansky and Danny Lasoski.

Kinser has 10 top-10 finishes in the first 11 races of the 80-plus 2009 WoO season.

The World of Outlaws return to action on Friday, April 17 at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky followed by a stop at 1-55 Raceway in Missouri on Saturday, April 18.

PHOENIX, AZ (March28, 2009) - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series made its final visit to the semi-banked ½-mile oval of Manzanita Speedway on Saturday, March 28. Quaker State driver Steve Kinser entered the final event with nine career A-feature wins, the series’ all-time leader. Almost 32 years after making his debut at the legendary track, Kinser reflected on his time spent at the track prior to Saturday’s race.

"I've always enjoyed running there," said Kinser. "I've been racing there since the late 70's. It's always been a good race track for us and I've had a lot of success there. I've always enjoyed going to that area and racing, but I guess nothing lasts forever. That's just sort of the way it is."

Kinser qualified the Quaker State Maxim in the eighth position and followed his strong qualifying run with another solid showing in his heat race. Finishing second in the eight-lap heat race Kinser automatically transferred to the A-feature but made a run in the Crane Cams Dash first to determine his starting position. With a fifth-place finish in the Dash, the 20-time World of Outlaws Champions secured himself a top-five start in the A-main.

Kinser battled his longtime rival Sammy Swindell for a number of laps for the second spot a couple of different times over the course of the race. The Bloomington, Indiana native was running second in the early going of the 30-lap feature. The Quaker State driver kept pace with the leader for a number of laps en route to a second-place finish in the A-main. With his solid run, Kinser moved to within 11 points of the series points leader.

"We were pretty good," said Kinser. "I got a little loose and with the rubber coming in, I was afraid to burn the tire off, so I went a little conservative."

Kinser continued his streak of solid finishes in the start of the 2009 World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series. With nine races complete, the Quaker State driver has scored eight top-10 finishes several of which were top-five runs.

Next up for the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series is two stops in the great state of Texas. The Series will take a weekend off before returning to action on April 10 at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas followed by an appearance at Houston Raceway Park in Baytown, Texas on April 11.

Quaker State Driver is only Competitor to Finish in Top-10 in all Six A-Feature Events of 2009

CHICO, CA (March 13, 2009) - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returned to action this weekend for the 23^rd Annual Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California. For the first time since 1992, the World of Outlaws sanctioned the Mini Gold Cup at the always racy ¼-mile track. After starting the 2009 season with four consecutive events on half-mile tracks, Friday and Saturday’s events marked the first short track races of the season for the series.

Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, has had unmatched success at Silver Dollar Speedway with the series, scoring 22 wins dating back to 1979. He had nearly 50 Top-10 finishes over the last 30 years at the ¼-mile coming into this weekend’s events.

In the opening night of competition the Bloomsburg, Indiana native turned in a very impressive run coming from the back of the field after having to go to a back-up car after a hard crash in the Crane Cams Dash. Kinser started the evening off with a 13^th-place qualifying run and followed that up by winning his 10-lap heat race to move him into the Crane Cams Dash where he was scored with a ninth-place finish. However under World of Outlaws rules, the Quaker State driver had to start the 40-lap A-main in the rear of the field in his back-up Maxim. For the second time in the last three races, Kinser came from the back of the field to pass the most cars and earn a top-five finish when he took the checkered flag in the fifth spot.

The second night of racing action proved to be just as successful for Kinser as he scored yet another top-five finish in the feature event.

The 20-time Champion began the evening with a top-10 qualifying run putting his Quaker State Maxim ninth on the time trails list. Just like the night before, Kinser won his heat race transferring him into the A-feature and earning him a spot in the Crane Cams Dash, used to determine the first 10 starting spots of the feature. Kinser’s fourth-place finish in the Dash set the Quaker State driver up for a top-five start in the A-main feature.

Kinser’s fifth-place finish in the finale of the Mini Gold Cup on Saturday marked him as the only driver that has finished in the top-10 in each of the six A-Feature events contested in the 2009 season. It also helped the champion gain 21 markers on the points leader as he now sits just 16 points out of the lead as he chases his record 21^st series title.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action next weekend at Thunderbowl Speedway in Tulare, California. Two nights of racing action are set to begin on Friday, March 20 with competition continuing on Saturday, March 21.

Twenty-Time Champion has Solid Start to 2009 Season

LAS VEGAS, NV (February 27, 2009) - The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returned to The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway this past week for their fourth event of the 2009 season.

Quaker State driver Steve Kinser picked up his first win at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in the opener of a three-night event on March 2, 2000. The Bloomington, Indiana native looking for his first win of the 2009 season entered this year’s event trailing point leader Donny Schatz by just 21 points.

The cars took to the semi-banked half-mile oval for the first time since 2006 opening the racing action with qualifying. Kinser and his Quaker State team turned in a lap of 14.616 seconds, good enough to put them 14th overall.

The 20-time World of Outlaws Champion competed in his heat race where he finished sixth in the eight-lap race advancing him on to the A-main later in the evening.

Kinser raced hard throughout the 30-lap feature event gaining six spot to finish eighth for the evening. With his top-10 run Kinser now has a three top-10 finishes along with a top-five in the first four events of the season.

Next up for the Quaker State team is the Mini Gold Cup at Silver Dollar Speedway in Chico, California on March 13-14. This year’s running of the event will mark the first time since 1992 that the World of Outlaws has sanctioned the Mini Gold Cup. Kinser is a former winner of the Mini Gold Cup.

KINSER CAPS OFF SEASON WITH TWO TOP-10 FINISHES

Q Oil Driver Finishes Third in 2008 Championship Point Standings

CONCORD, NC (November 2, 2008) – After more than nine months of racing across the country Steve Kinser and the Q Oil team rolled into The Dirt Track @ Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina for the final weekend of racing action in the 2008 Advance Auto Parts World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series season.

Kinser who won the thrilling finale of the inaugural VAULT World Finals last season on the semi-banked 0.4-mile oval entered the weekend looking to extend his string of top-10 finishes at the track after finishing in the top-10 in all 17 events he has competed at the track.

On track action began on Thursday, October 30 with two rounds of time trials which were used to determine the heat race line-ups for Friday and Saturday night. Kinser, one of 47 cars taking time on Thursday, put the Q Oil Maxim in the third spot with a lap at 12.404 seconds.

During Friday night's event, the 20-time champion finished fourth in his heat race and transferred to the Crane Cams Dash for the six-lap race used to determine the first 10 starting positions in the A-feature. After finishing eighth in the Dash, Kinser was set to roll off from the fourth row in the 30-lap A-main. The Bloomington, Indiana native worked his way into the top five before finishing fourth for the evening.

Starting a little further back in Saturday's event, Kinser came all the way from the 14th starting spot to finish sixth in the 30-lap A-main. The Q Oil driver finished third in his heat race earlier in the evening advancing him into the A-feature main event.

The 20-time World of Outlaws champion finished the 2008 season with seven wins bringing his career total to 550. In addition, Kinser racked up 49 top-10 finishes, with 33 of those being top-fives en route to a third-place finish in the 2008 championship point standings.

Steve Kinser Scores one Top-Five and a pair of Sixth-Place finishes in the Quaker State Maxim

BARBERVILLE, NC (February 9, 2009) – The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series kicked off the 2009 season at Volusia Speedway Park with the 38th Annual Alltel DIRTcar Nationals by UNOH on Friday, February 6th.

Steve Kinser returned to the semi-banked half-mile oval in his No. 11 Quaker State Maxim hoping to kick his season off in a strong manner.

Kinser, the 20-time World of Outlaws champion, has four career wins at the track and was victorious for the first time at Volusia Speedway Park in 1984. He won for the last time in World of Outlaws action at the track in 2005. He finished third or better in each of his first 10 starts at the track between 1979 and 2005.

“That is one of the toughest fields you’ll probably have all year,” admitted Kinser. “Everyone is down there with fresh motors, ready to run. If you get started off good there, it’s a plus for the whole season.”

Kinser qualified with a strong fourth-place run in the opening night of action. He followed that up with a third-place finish in his heat race transferring the Bloomington, Indiana native into the A-feature. The Quaker State driver took the checkered flag in the sixth position after 30 laps of intense racing action in the feature.

The following evening, the Indiana native kept up his strong showing qualifying fourth in time trials. A top-five finish in his heat race once again transferred the 20-time World of Outlaws champion to the A-feature where he finished sixth for the second night in a row.

In the final night of racing action, Kinser charged all the way from the back of the field to score his first top-five finish of the season finishing fifth in the feature. The Quaker State team elected to start at the tail of the field after they believed there was a problem with the engine. On his way to his top-five finish Kinser put the Quaker State Maxim in the fifth position during qualifying and followed that up with a third place finish in his heat race.

The World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series returns to action on February 26 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in Las Vegas, Nevada.