photo credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

“This is such a great accomplishment for the 5 and 88 teams,” Martin said. “That was not an accomplishment of mine. It is one of all 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.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPPvaQ4go9w

Martin became the oldest Daytona 500 pole winner at the age of 51.

“I’m real proud to be on the front row with my teammate, in Hendrick cars, and it’s a testament to the engine shop and the fabricators,” said Earnhardt. “I’m real proud for our sponsors, AMP Energy and National Guard. They’ve been really supportive, and we’ve been waiting for what seems like a lifetime through the offseason to get to the racetrack and do good for ‘em. So this felt really good today.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQSb6rDBM0s

Interesting stats say:

The last driver to win the Daytona 500 from the pole was Dale Jarrett in 2000
The last driver to win the Daytona 500 from the second starting position was Dale Jarrett in 1993
Martin has never won at Daytona in his 49 races there
2002 was the last time a polesitter won the 500 (8 races)

It may not be too much of a surprise the #5 and #88 are side-by-side. Both race teams are housed in the same garage. “The challenge was to run one team with two cars, and then to have those two cars down here that ran almost identical times,” team owner Rick Hendrick said. “I know this is just one race, but no one here, and no one outside our company will know the effort Alan [Gustafson, crew chief of the #5] and Lance [McGrew, crew chief for the #88] put into this team and these two cars, and I’m really proud of them.”

It’s the second Daytona 500 front row sweep by Hendrick Motorsports drivers since 1989. Ken Schrader won the pole that year while Darrell Waltrip qualified second. Waltrip won that year.

The front row is locked in for the Daytona 500, but we’ll have to wait until Thursday’s duel races to see where the rest of the field will line-up. If a driver is guaranteed a starting spot in the 500, the finishing order in each of the duel races will determine starting positions. Eight drivers will have a shot to race their way into the 500 based on finishing order in the duel.

Duel Race #1 Starting Line-Up:
Thursday -- 4 pm (Speed Channel)

Duel Race #2 Starting Line-Up:
Thursday -- 4 pm (Speed Channel)

* go or go-homers (will have to race their way into the 500)

- click the arrow to listen -

…after he won the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series championship!

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

“It was a tough race, for sure,” Busch said. “We weren’t the best car here for a long time. All these guys made some great race calls — (crew chief) Jason (Ratcliff) and everybody else. That’s why we’re a championship team. That’s why we made it here tonight, because these guys can fight through stuff.”

With 35 laps to go, Busch passed polesitter Carl Edwards for the lead and held on until victory lane for his 9th series win this season. Busch only needed to start the race to win his first NASCAR championship. “What an awesome race,” Busch said. “Carl and Jeff Burton put on a whale of a show up there, Jeff on the bottom, Carl up top, and at the end of the race with Carl coming through on tires, it was such a fun deal.  Fun to watch and fun to be a part of at the end.  Glad we were able to hold them off and come out here and win this thing.  This is another racetrack that I can mark off my list of venues I haven’t won at, and so really excited to be able to do that. I felt like I wasn’t the best driver here tonight, but the guys gave me a car capable enough of winning.”

The series champ hasn’t won the season finale since Sam Ard in 1983. It was win #20 for Busch across NASCAR’s top 3 series this season.

“It wasn’t a cake walk this year,” Busch said. “It was a tough year.  You know, Carl and Brad both kept it very close.  You know, we didn’t have the deal sewed up until we came down here and started the race. It shows the competition and the stress of the series that it puts on you and on the teams and everybody involved.  It was a battle down to the end for the fifth place spot as well, too, in order to have those guys get to the banquet.  There was battles at every arch.

“Really it’s a great accomplishment to be able to set out and get the series most points in a season.  I mean, that just shows you the consistency we had, the amount of wins we had, the bonus points that we had being able to lead the most races, the most laps in some of those races.  I mean, it’s just Jason (Ratcliff, crew chief) can even allude to it, too.  When all things fall into place and work together, it just seems like sometimes nothing can go wrong, and yet, you know, those disappointing finishes of second place and third place, you know, those are the days where you have to cherish and look at and say, this is what’s going to win us this championship, instead of trying too hard and wrecking out or taking a second place finish to a 17th. But I still missed Dover and Darlington where we should have, could have won those races, too, but having flat tires on the last restarts hurt us.”

After losing the lead with 35 to go, Carl Edwards held on to finish 2nd. “Well, it was close,” Edwards said. “You know, we tried really hard.  I drove my heart out there at the end, and I just wasn’t going to be able to catch him and pass him the right way.  So we got second. My guys worked really hard.

“The best thing is we had a good race car for the first time at a mile and a half in a long time.  We had a car that could win, and that was a lot of fun.  There was one point in the race where me and Kyle and Joey and Jeff were racing really hard.  It was really fun.  I mean, that was really fun to be a part of.  I had a good time.”

Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR

Jeff Burton finished 3rd. “Yeah, obviously we’re a little disappointed with third, but it was fun,” Burton said. “Early in the race it got a little strung out, but it was okay because we were leading.  But once the caution came Carl got real fast, and it was a race from then on, and I thought that was a lot of fun to be part of, and it’s    the cool thing is all those guys we were racing with you know you can race hard and everybody is going to treat each other with respect and race hard and run hard, which is what we’re supposed to do, but treat each other with respect, and that’s a lot of fun.”

Joey Logano finished 4th followed by Denny Hamlin, David Reutimann, Ryan Newman, Steve Wallace, Scott Speed and Matt Kenseth round out the top-10.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

The Keselowski vs. Hamlin rivalry added a new chapter. After contact at Phoenix International Raceway last week, Hamlin vowed to ‘get back’ at Keselowski. Hamlin made good on his promise on lap 34.  Hamlin tapped the rear bumper on the #88 which sent Keselowski spinning down the front stretch. Luckily, Keselowski didn’t hit anything or collect anybody else.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA8OrSYpGV8

“I don’t hold any grudges, and I’m ready to move on,” Keselowski said. He finished 12th.

NASCAR penalized Hamlin for aggressive driving and held him in his pit box for 1 lap. “I feel great right now. It was well worth it,” Hamlin said. “The scales are tipped a little bit more in my favor, but they’re not tipped that much.” Hamlin won the lucky dog after a debris caution on lap 91. He would go on to finish 13th. “I challenge anybody to get wrecked as much as we have by one driver to not do anything,” Hamlin said. “The weekend ain’t over, either.”

There were 7 cautions for 27 laps and 20 lead changes among 8 drivers: C. Edwards 1-11; K. Busch 12-24; J. Keller 25-27; K. Busch 28-42; J. Burton 43; K. Busch 44-46; J. Burton 47-81; M. Wallace 82; K. Busch 83-86; J. Logano 87-95; K. Busch 96; J. Logano 97-100; K. Busch 101; C. Edwards 102-135; J. Burton 136-144; C. Edwards 145-146; S. Wallace 147; D. Hamlin 148-154; J. Burton 155-158; C. Edwards 159-164; K. Busch 165-200

The 2009 (unofficial) driver standings:

1.  Kyle Busch 5682
2.  Carl Edwards 5472
3.  Brad Keselowski 5364
4.  Jason Leffler 4540
5.  Mike Bliss 4075
6.  Justin Allgaier 4049
7.  Steve Wallace 4007
8.  Jason Keller 3960
9.  Brendan Gaughan 3914
10. Michael Annett 3598

For more, click here.

The 2010 season will start on February 13th at Daytona International Speedway.

Keselowski had to hold off series points leader, Kyle Busch, on a green-white-checkered finish to score his 6th career win.

Photo Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images
“Today, I was very aggressive and put myself in a lot of those situations that led to contact,” Keselowski said. “Two of them led to spins. I didn’t do myself any favors by that. It’s not like I came out on top with that. I tore my car up and slowed it down. It wasn’t like that was what won me the race. What won me the race was being aggressive throughout. The specific contact didn’t win me the race. They actually hurt.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEvJ-8VhwK4

“It was just good hard racing,” Keselowski said.

Carl Edwards suffered from ‘good hard racing’. Edwards led twice for 65 laps over the last half of the race. With 15 laps to go, he went for a spin after a little help from Keselowski’s bumper. After the race, Edwards said he was not mad at Keselowski. Edwards fought back for a 6th place finish, but lost valuable points on his championship hopes.

On the restart after the caution for Edwards’ wreck, Keselowski made a very daring move for the lead. Restarting 5th, Keselowski passed 4 cars to get to the front. “It felt pretty cool in the seat,” he said. “I’d like to see what it looked like on TV. I thought we could get a run on them.”

There was an extra incentive for winning as Saturday’s race was the last of four Nationwide Insurance Dash 4 Cash races. Keselowski won $25,000 for the victory and an additional $50,000 for scoring the most points over those four Dash 4 Cash races.

Keselowski seemed more impressed with the Elvis trophy he picked up for the win. It was said that he carried it to the media center for the post-race news conference and was planning on personally taking it home with him.

Photo Credit: John Sommers II/Getty Images

“I’ve got this Elvis—man, I really wanted that trophy bad, just as bad as I wanted the Dash 4 Cash,” Keselowski said. “To be able to finally get it today is a special thing.”

Points leader Kyle Busch chased Keselowki across the finish. “I guess I should be ecstatic with a second-place finish,” Busch said and adding “Seeing as though we didn’t have a car that should have finished in the top-10. I gave it all I had on the last few laps. I could have spun him out and wrecked him, but I couldn’t put myself to do it.” It was Busch’s 27th top-10 finish this season. Busch leads the standing by 215 points over 2nd place, Carl Edwards.

Jason Leffler has been fighting a sinus infection over the week, but didn’t let it slow him down. Leffler finished third. “It’s always a matter of survival here,” Leffler said about the short track. “It’s that type of race track.”

After leading a race-high 85 laps, Mike Bliss finished his afternoon 4th. Brendan Gaughan was up front for 8 laps. He finished 5th. Carl Edwards, Scott Wimmer, David Reutimann, Stephen Leicht and Landon Cassill completed the top-10.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 14 cautions for 72 laps and 13 lead changes among 8 drivers: J. Allgaier # 1-34; M. Bliss 35-62; C. Edwards 63-68; B. Keselowski 69-86; M. Bliss 87-93; K. Busch 94-95; M. Bliss 96-126; K. Wallace 127-128; K. Busch 129-143; M. Bliss 144-162; C. Edwards 163-221; B. Gaughan # 222-229; M. Annett # 230-238; B. Keselowski 239-254

A Richmond win has eluded Hamlin a few times in recent visits, but Saturday night was a different story.

Photo Credit: Jerry Markland/Getty Images for NASCAR

Hamlin led a whopping race-high 298 of 400 laps and called the win the “biggest” in his career.

“It’s a good run for our team,” Hamlin said.  “It’s how we have run the last few times here and just haven’t got the win.  You know, today everything just came together.  We had good pit stops and didn’t make any mistakes, so we just kind of paced ourselves at the beginning.  The 24 was really good there at the beginning and had some good racing with him.  Just kind of sizing him up, seeing what he had in case I had to race him towards the end.”

Kurt Busch scored a runner-up finish and claimed his spot in the Chase. “To have our cars run with the strength that we had in the beginning of the year, and then to plateau a little bit, it feels good to finish off strong, especially at the most recent short tracks like Bristol and Richmond,” he said. “So the confidence that it gives the crew and the team to know of all the changes that we have made this of off‑season and to put a car back in the Chase; it’s my second out of four years at Penske to do that, it’s huge.”

Jeff Gordon led 98 laps and looked like the car to beat. He had to check up on one of restarts which sent him slightly back through the field. Gordon was able to rebound for a 3rd place finish.

“We pushed hard,” Gordon said. “Unfortunately, Clint Bowyer pushed a little too hard down in turn one and almost pushed us out but we caught our way back up to third.  I did exactly what I expected us to do as a team.  Our goal was to win, and we went into it as hard as we could to win.  We had great pit stops.  We had the best car I’ve had here in a very long time.  I pushed hard when I felt like I had to on the restarts, the double‑file restarts, and I think we had a second‑place car and we finished third.”  With thoughts on the chase, he quickly added, “I think it propels us very nicely to go into the Chase, actually.”

Polesitter Mark Martin went home with a 4th place finish and the points lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 10 cautions for 56 laps and 14 lead changes among 4 drivers:
12 among 4 drivers: M. Martin 1-3; D. Hamlin 4-66; J. Gordon 67-107; D. Hamlin 108; M. Waltrip 109; J. Gordon 110-150; D. Hamlin 151-174; J. Gordon 175-182; D. Hamlin 183-188; J. Gordon 189-193; D. Hamlin 194-203; J. Gordon 204-205; D. Hamlin 206-400

Going into Richmond, 11 drivers were battling for 8 open Chase spots.

Matt Kenseth was sitting 12th in the point standings, the cut off. Brian Vickers was 13th, 20 points behind 12th. Kyle Busch was 14th, 37 points behind 12th.

Matt Kenseth battled an ill handling car all night and what he called “the worst pit box ever”. Kenseth finished 25th and dropped to 14th in the standings. A former series champion, Kenseth along with Jimmie Johnson have been the only 2 drivers to have never missed an entry into the Chase since its inception in 2004.

“This is disappointing how we ran here the last three or four times for some reason,” Kenseth said on pit road.  “But really since California, we went to Vegas, and broke in the second lap or first lap and everything has really been downhill since there so I can’t say I’m really surprise that had we didn’t make it.  I’m really disappointed we didn’t make it but we just didn’t perform good enough. Yeah, there’s mistakes here and there and some points left on the table but you can say that every year.  Basically we just didn’t perform good enough.  We didn’t run good enough to be in and the way we ran the last three months, we didn’t deserve to be in there.”

All eyes were on Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch. They raced almost side by side throughout the race’s entirety. Busch finished 5th while Vickers scored a 7th place finish. Add the math up and Busch missed the chase by only a mere 8 points, the closest margin ever in Chase history.

Photo Credit: Chris Graythen/Getty Images

“Well, we did all we can do,” Busch said. “We gave a valiant effort and it was a good night for the M&M’s Toyota to come in fifth place.  That’s what you look for in these deals and unfortunately it wasn’t enough for tonight to get ourselves knocked in the Chase, but it’s not just tonight or it’s not just last week that’s kept us out.  It’s been the past 26 races that unfortunately some days I didn’t do my best, and we didn’t have the best cars or whatever it might have been.  So you can look at a whole different scenario or a whole different slew of things but what it boils down to is we missed. So I feel bad for M&M’s and Interstate Batteries, Combo, Snickers, all of the guys that worked so hard on this team.  With all the pits stops all night if anybody deserved to be in, the team did and they did a great job so unfortunately we will be on the outside looking in.  We’ll be looking to win some races in the rest of the season and hopefully go out with a bang.” Eight points is the closest margin in Chase history.

Every point counted to the checkered flag. 7th is the best Vickers has finished at Richmond.

“I don’t know how many hours the guys spent, just beating their heads against the wall trying to figure out what we need do to make our short track better,” Vickers said.  “Obviously our performance in what we learned in the spring race contributed tremendously to us being better in this race.  It wasn’t like we threw stuff against the wall and it stuck.  We knew what worked and tried to make it better.  The guys did it.  Congratulations to them because if it wasn’t for that, obviously we would not be in the Chase. This is the best car we have ever had here and feel like we can make it a little bit better and there were times this week where we were Top 3 or Top 2 or first‑place capable car.  Really proud of that effort.  I think that last caution came out and maybe we had a shot at the Top 3, but we accomplished our goal tonight.”

The top 12 drivers in the point standings are now locked into the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup. Racing for the 2009 championship will be:

Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Mark Martin, Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, Juan Pablo Montoya, Greg Biffle and Brian Vickers

Points have been reset to 5000 with each win worth 10 bonus points. Here’s how the drivers have been seeded:

1.   Mark Martin (5040)
2.   Tony Stewart (5030)
3.   Jimmie Johnson (5030)
4.   Denny Hamlin (5020)
5.   Kasey Kahne (5020)
6.   Jeff Gordon  (5010)
7.   Kurt Busch (5010)
8.   Brian Vickers (5010)
9.   Carl Edwards (5000)
10.  Ryan Newman (5000)
11.  Juan Pablo Montoya (5000)
12.  Greg Biffle (5000)

For more details, click here.

Photos by Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR

With 11 to go, Kahne passed race leader Kevin Harvick to go for his second win of the season.

(Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

“Well, it feels awesome to win at Atlanta,” Kahne said. ” To win on a night like tonight when the Chase and everything has been so tight for the last two months, you know, this team just stepped up.  The pit stops were awesome all night.  The calls from Kenny Francis (crew chief) were perfect. It was great to drive there.  I knew we could go fast for about 15 laps, faster than anybody.  It was just after that I would get a little bit too loose to hang with Harvick and Montoya.  11 laps to go, you know, just getting to the front was what I was thinking I needed to do.  Once we did it, everything was perfect from there out. So just a great team effort.  Something Richard Petty Motorsports really needed.”

Team owner Richard Petty was with his driver during the victory lane celebration. He had this to say, “It was a real team effort,” he said. “No matter how you run or how good you run or how bad, circumstances beyond anybody’s control (can happen).  Circumstances fell our way on that last caution flag, and that put us in a position for the pit crew to do their job and the driver to do his job.”

(Photo Credit: Jason Smith/Getty Images for NASCAR)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDjfTO2UMAA

Polesitter Martin Truex Jr. led three times for the race-high 68 laps, but it wasn’t his night. He finished 26th, one lap down.

After winning the Nationwide Series race the night before at Atlanta, Harvick looked strong. He led the second highest amount of laps by leading 66 laps pf the 325 laps. Harvick scored a runner-up finish, his best finish this season. It has been 95 races since Kevin Harvick has won a Sprint Cup Series race. It was his RCR teammate, Clint Bowyer that set up the final caution of the night.

“We had a great car tonight,” Harvick said. “The guys did a great job preparing the car.  I knew we were in trouble there at the end because it took our car 15 or 20 laps to get going.  But, hey, that’s a long ways from where we’ve been.  We led a bunch of laps tonight, something we haven’t been able to do in a while. I’m happy.  Obviously you want to go out and win.  But from where we’ve been this year, I think tonight feels like a win.  We’ll just take this momentum and hopefully keep it going.”

Juan Pablo Montoya finished third. “I think it’s great,” he said. “I think everything on the Target team did an amazing job.  Last race in Bristol I thought we had a chance of winning.  We had a flat tire.  It cost actually a lot in points. Two races with flat tires, we come here, lost a bunch of points, it’s always kind of worrying.  Every restart you go, Please, nobody slide into me, things like that.  It was nice to see that Kasey and Kevin and myself were the three fastest cars by a mile.  Once you got in line, after the first corner, you knew you were fine. I thought I had a shot.  That 9 car in the last run was incredibly fast.”

David Reutimann finished fourth followed by Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin, Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle  completed the top-10.

For the (unofficial) race results, click here.

There were 9 cautions for 42 laps and 31 lead changes among 13 drivers: M. Truex Jr. 1-38; K. Kahne 39-41; M. Truex Jr. 42-61; Kyle Busch 62-71; J. Johnson 72-83; M. Kenseth 84; Kyle Busch 85-95; M. Truex Jr. 96-105; M. Waltrip 106; Kyle Busch 107-109; D. Hamlin 110-127; J. Johnson 128-132; J. Gordon 133-135; D. Hamlin 136-138; J. Gordon 139-165; D. Hamlin 166-167; K. Harvick 168-188; B. Vickers 189-190; K. Harvick 191-202; R. Newman 203; K. Harvick 204-207; K. Kahne 208-227; K. Harvick 228-229; K. Kahne 230; K. Harvick 231-247; G. Biffle 248; K. Kahne 249-269; J. Montoya 270; K. Kahne 271-274; J. Montoya 275-304; K. Harvick 305-314; K. Kahne 315-325

Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin have all clinched their spot in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Denny Hamlin made it after the Atlanta race.

8 spots remain now in the Chase for 11 drivers with a mathematical chance to compete for a Chase berth.

Carl Edwards and Kurt Busch each had a mathematical chance, but neither one had good nights at Atlanta. Edwards finished 37th, one ahead of Kurt Busch’s 38th. Edwards is currently 5th in the point standings, 105 points ahead of 13th place. He’ll need to finish 24th or better regardless of what any other driver does at Richmond to clinch his spot.

Kurt Busch is currently 7th, 95 points ahead of 13th place. He’ll need to finish 20th or better at Richmond -- regardless of what any other driver does to clinch his spot.

Matt Kenseth remains in the hot spot in the 12th points position.

Brian Vickers moved up one spot to 13th after finishing 7th at Atlanta. He’s 17 points out of 12th. Vickers needs to gain 21 points on Kenseth to make his way into the Chase.

Kyle Busch dropped one spot in the standings after his 13th place finish at Atlanta. He’s currently 37 points behind 12th. Busch needs to gain 17 points on Vickers and 37 points on Kenseth for his shot.

David Reutimann is 15th and 132 points out of 12th. Reutimann still has a chance to make it into the Chase.

(Photo credit: NASCARMedia.com)

From a press release on September 2, 2009 by Hendrick Motorsports:

“TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story,” NASCAR Media Group’s documentary-style film chronicling the history of the eight-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship team, will air Sunday, Oct. 11 at 1:30 p.m. ET on ABC prior to the network’s Pepsi 500 race coverage from Fontana, Calif.

Narrated by three-time Academy Award nominee Tom Cruise and presented by Pepsi, “TOGETHER” employs exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archival footage, thrilling racing sequences and rare family photography to detail the personal relationships and emotional events that have shaped one of NASCAR’s most decorated organizations.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqT_NxPstbU

or on-line at: www.refresheverything.com/hendrick

The Web site will feature regular updates of content from the film and provide fans the opportunity to upload video messages about their favorite Hendrick Motorsports moments. Select fan-generated clips will be shown during the Oct. 11 broadcast on ABC.

“NASCAR Media Group is honored to tell the story of one of the most successful teams in our sport’s history,” said Jay Abraham, chief operating officer of NASCAR Media Group. “The cooperation, access and openness of Hendrick Motorsports and the entire Hendrick family have enabled us to tell a compelling, emotional and comprehensive story that will give fans fresh insight into one of NASCAR’s legendary operations. It has a powerful message that will resonate with people.”

The full-length version of “TOGETHER” with bonus material will be released Oct. 31 on DVD, and it will become NASCAR Media Group’s first officially licensed title available on Blu-ray Disc. A portion of Hendrick Motorsports’ proceeds from those sales will benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital (www.levinechildrenshospital.org) in Charlotte, N.C.

“When we started the team back in 1984, our pie in the sky was to eventually, someday win a race,” said Rick Hendrick, owner of Hendrick Motorsports. “Any success beyond that has been because of the folks who have worked so hard and supported us over our 25 years. We’ve been extremely fortunate, and I hope the film is something they will be proud of.”

Cruise, an auto racing enthusiast who starred in the 1990 NASCAR-themed motion picture “Days of Thunder,” completed the narration work for “TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story” in Los Angeles last month. The script was co-written by Emmy Award winners Shawn Truax and Ray Didinger.

Film director Rory Karpf has spearheaded such projects as the Dale Earnhardt biopic “DALE,” now the best-selling sports DVD in history, and the critically acclaimed “Ride of Their Lives.” The NASCAR Media Group production team responsible for “TOGETHER: The Hendrick Motorsports Story” earned back-to-back Sports Emmy Awards in 2006 and 2007 for “Beyond the Wheel” and “Quest for the Cup.”

ABOUT HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS:
Since 1984 Hendrick Motorsports has earned 12 championships in NASCAR’s top three divisions and 183 victories in the sanctioning body’s premier series, the Sprint Cup. The organization, which currently is celebrating its 25th anniversary season, fields four full-time Chevrolet teams on the Sprint Cup Series circuit with drivers Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Hendrick Motorsports employs more than 500 people.

For more information about Hendrick Motorsports, please visit www.HendrickMotorsports.com, www.facebook.com/HendrickMotorsports and www.twitter.com/HendrickInfo

Despite having Caterpillar (CAT) as primary sponsor of his #31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Burton seldom has had few chances to do something quite like this.

“I’ve had very few opportunities to operate a piece of CAT equipment and that was sure a lot of fun,” Burton said. “I can’t say enough for MIS and other racetracks in NASCAR who do such a wonderful job of continuing to invest money into their facilities to make them the best possible venues for our loyal NASCAR fans.”

“It’s not as easy as it looks that’s for sure,” Burton said. “After a little practice I was getting the hang of it. I enjoyed it.”

Demolition began immediately following the recent NASCAR “Show Me the Carfax” race weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

The new two-story suite/media center building will house 31 corporate suites overlooking pit road and will be encompass the second floor. The new state-of-the-art media, technology and meeting center will be housed on the first floor along with a dining area for press and a new kitchen.

“Gasoline Alley” will also get a revamp along with a modification to pit road and the current fire lane.

The renovations are expected to be completed three weeks before the track’s next NASCAR race weekend from June 11-13, 2010.

Photos courtesy of Michigan International Speedway.

Click on each photo to enlarge.

Where the pit road suites now still somewhat stand, a solar-powered, glass and steel, two-story building will be placed to accommodate corporate suites and a new, state-of-the-art media center. The $17 million dollar renovation project will also include rebuilding the Americrown kitchen, relocating gasoline alley and extending the pedestrian tunnel, commonly referred to as “the gopher hole”.

Photos are courtesy of Michigan International Speedway.

You can click pictures for an enlarged view.

“It’s very exciting to see a building fall, but to know that this is the beginning of eventually redesigning our entire infield and being able to touch so many different aspects of our sport — fans, drivers, crews, media and corporate partners — makes this project truly special,” MIS President Roger Curtis said. “We are also directly contributing to the local economy by using Michigan-based businesses.”

The renovations are expected to be completed three weeks before the track’s next NASCAR race weekend from June 11-13, 2010.