Busch, Leffler Get Together in Heluva Good 200

Braun Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Jason Leffler got together in after a restart with about 30 laps to go in the Heluva Good 200 from Dover International Speedway.

Busch, who had earlier contact with Brad Keselowski, was coming back up through the field. He got a huge run on the outside of Leffler on a restart.

Leffler got really loose and chased his car up the track into Busch, spinning both of the cars into the wall, ending both of their days.

Busch said:

I have a teammate who doesn’t want to be number two. … He drove up two lanes to hit me.

Leffler said:

I just lost it… took my teammate out. I clipped my teammate. I have to apologize to everyone at Braun Racing. … I apologize to everyone at Dollar General. We’ve got two wrecked race cars because of me.

Speed Wins AAA Insurance 200

Scott Speed won the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Raceway, making him the third first-time winner in a row in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Jack Sprague finished second. Ron Hornaday, Travis Kvapil, and Matt Crafton rounded out the top 5.

Kyle Busch led a race-high 96 laps, but ended up finishing 27th after transmission trouble sent him to the garage area.

David Starr, Mike Skinner, Colin Braun, Rick Crawford, and Johnny Benson finished sixth through 10th.

Notables: Ted Musgrave (11th), Dennis Setzer (18th), and Todd Bodine (30th).

Biffle On Pole For Best Buy 400

Greg Biffle won the pole for the Best Buy 400 from Dover International Speedway, AKA The Monster Mile, with a time of 23.193.

Kurt Busch will start on the outside of row 1, with brother Kyle starting third.

Rounding out the top 5 starters were Jimmie Johnson and Jamie McMurray.

Brian Vickers, Jeff Gordon, A.J. Allmendinger, Elliott Sadler, Jeremy Mayfield start sixth through tenth, respectively.

Notables: Carl Edwards (14th), Kasey Kahne (15th), Martin Truex Jr. (20th), Matt Kenseth (21st), Tony Stewart (22nd), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (25th), Clint Bowyer (26th), Kevin Harvick (34th), and Jeff Burton (38th).

Chad McCumbee and Jason Leffler failed to qualify.

DuPont Signs Extension With Gordon, Hendrick Motorsports

SceneDaily is reporting that DuPont has signed an extension with Jeff Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports through 2010. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

With the extension, DuPont will have sponsored Gordon and the No. 24 for 18 years.

The extension is no surprise. DuPont and Gordon go together like Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Budweiser — oh wait. Like “Humpy” Wheeler and Lowe’s Motor Speedway — oh wait. Like Winston and the Cup Series — oh wait. Like Anheiser-Busch and — oh wait.

Well, Gordon and DuPont have been together for a long time, let’s put it that way.

Rick Handrick said:

The relationship Hendrick Motorsports and Jeff Gordon have enjoyed with DuPont is not just one of the great success stories in NASCAR, but across all forms of sponsorship. We feel fortunate to have such a terrific, long-term partner, and our entire company looks forward to an exciting future with the No. 24 DuPont team.

It should also be noted the DuPont stuck with Gordon during the early ’stache-filled year of his career. While this needs to be verified, I believe Gordon shaved the ’stache sometime in the 1993 or 1994 season, at which point his carreer took off.  

 

Sadler Signs Extension With Gillett Evernham Motorsports

SceneDaily is reporting that Elliott Sadler has signed a multi-year extension with Gillett Evernham Motorsports. The financial terms of the deal have not been released.

Sadler has three career victories in the Sprint Cup series, as well as five career victories in the Nationwide series in the 1997 and 1998 seasons.

While this news is a little surprising, considering Sadler’s performance, it’s not all that shocking.

Sadler may be a top 10 to top 15 driver, but his personality makes him a marketable driver both on and off the track, which gives him the advantage of attracting sponsors.

Tom Redding, CEO of GEM, said:

In addition to being a great Sprint Cup driver, Elliott has a wonderful personality that attracts fans and sponsors who love working with him. We have enjoyed working with Elliott over the last year and a half and look forward to continuing our relationship.