Motor Racing Digest

Photo Credit: Rusty Jarrett, MRD

Posted by: Dave Thompson, follow @phillyfan17

May 8, 2012

Winners

Brad Keselowski – Keselowski earned his second career restrictor-plate race win and scored his fifth Sprint Cup Series win in less than a year. Keselowski is now tied with Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin with two victories in 2012. He moved up one spot in the standings to 12th.

Kyle Busch – Fans did not hear Busch’s name mentioned often during the race since he did not run near the front the majority of the day. However, when it counted, there he was, behind Keselowski pushing him to the win and taking home a second place finish for the No. 18 team. With the win last week and 2nd place finish at Talladega, Busch has moved inside the top-10 in the standings.

David Ragan – Ragan earned his best finish of the season since moving to Front Row Motorsports with his seventh-place run at Talladega. Ragan stayed clear of trouble, and with a little help from the late wrecks, snuck into the top-10 at the end.

Losers

Jeff Gordon – His season continues to head in the wrong direction with another wreck and a disappointing 33rd-place finish. Gordon battled an engine on the borderline of overheating throughout most of the day. He expressed his frustration with NASCAR’s new restrictor-plate rules and the effect on the engine temperatures. Gordon dropped six spots in the point standings, falling to 23rd.

Denny Hamlin – At the end of the race, Hamlin looked in a great position to win, but fell victim to a late wreck. AJ Allmendinger ended Hamlin and others afternoon when he tried to block Hamlin. He finished the day in 23rd and lost a spot in the standings.

Jimmie Johnson – Johnson, along with Ryan Newman, were the first victims of engine problems. He had led at one point during the race, but eventually would finish in 35th. Johnson has not had any success in either restrictor-plate race in 2012. This was his worst finish since he wrecked and finished 42nd at Daytona.