| NASCAR Weekly Report | | | | Dale Earnhardt Jr. rounded out the top ten. The |
| 5/17/09 | | | | Sprint Cup Series returns to Lowe's Motor Speedway |
| Author: Matt Gerwitz U. S. Sports Media, Inc | | | | next weekend for the Coca-Cola 600, long |
| CONCORD, N.C. - Smoke was on fire Saturday night | | | | considered the series most difficult endurance race. |
| at Lowe's Motor Speedway for the NASACAR Sprint | | | | Meanwhile, the Camping World Trucks returned to |
| Cup Series' annual all-star race. Tony Stewart, whose | | | | action at Lowe's on Friday night after taking off the |
| nickname in the garage is "Smoke", won his first race | | | | last two weekends. Points leader Mike Skinner |
| as an owner-driver by passing Matt Kenseth with | | | | crashed just 35 laps in, ending his night and causing |
| two laps to go. Though the all-star race is not a | | | | him to surrender the points lead to second place |
| points race, the winner's purse over $1 million makes | | | | driver Ron Hornaday. For his part, Hornaday went on |
| for some great competition and exciting racing. The | | | | to win the 200 mile race and build a lead of 84 points |
| winnings are sure to help the bottom line for | | | | over Skinner. At one point Hornaday was a lap down |
| Stewart-Haas racing which is running its inaugural | | | | when he got caught in the pits by a caution flag. He |
| season on NASCAR's senior circuit. | | | | battled back and took the lead from Matt Crafton on |
| Jeff Gordon had a very strong car, sticking to the | | | | lap 106. Kyle Busch and Crafton both tried to catch |
| bottom of the track most of the night. Inside of ten | | | | Hornaday, but he clearly had the better truck and |
| laps the number twenty-four was in a back-and-forth | | | | finished the job. |
| battle with Kyle Busch for the lead. With eight laps to | | | | DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Nationwide Series was |
| go Gordon was three-wide with Busch in the middle | | | | off this week, but there was still action in the front |
| and Ryan Newman on the high side. Assuming he | | | | office. NASCAR announced on Wednesday that |
| was clear on the right, Gordon allowed himself to | | | | Michael Allen, crew chief for Terry Cook's number 91 |
| drift up at the same time Busch and Nedwman were | | | | Chevolet has been fined for violations at Darlington |
| coming down. The contact sent him into the grass, | | | | on May 7th. The $2,500 fine is the result of three |
| then up the track and into the wall. Asked | | | | violations of the 2009 Nationwide Series rule book, all |
| afterwards about the contact, Gordon said that it | | | | dealing with equipment that does not conform to the |
| was just a group of guys racing really hard. | | | | rules. Allen has not made any moves to appeal the |
| Matt Kenseth finished second, Kurt Busch was third, | | | | fine. The Nationwide Series resumes this Saturday at |
| Denny Hamiln fourth, and Carl Edwards fifth. Mark | | | | Lowe's, as Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards and Jason |
| Martin, Kyle Busch, Joey Logano, Jamie McMurray and | | | | Leffler lead the field in the Carquest Auto Parts 300. |