NASCAR Daily News Headlines * June 5, 2010

Pocono To Install More SAFER Barrier

Construction of the SAFER barrier will be completed for the 2011 races at the track, according to a track news release.

Pocono added SAFER barriers to sections of its outer wall in 2004.(scenedaily.com)

Keselowski Wins Nashville Nationwide Race

"It's quite simple: If I didn't come here (Friday), I don't think I would've won the race," Keselowski said after scoring his third Nationwide victory of the season and second of his career at Nashville.

Keselowski came into Nashville with a one-point lead on Kyle Busch, but Busch and third-place Kevin Harvick skipped Nashville and will not run the full season. Keselowski's points lead is now 196 over Busch, with Carl Edwards 277 back in third.

Edwards finished second Saturday, with Paul Menard third, polesitter Justin Allgaier fourth and Mike Bliss fifth.

Edwards, Menard and Michael McDowell are also running both Cup and Nationwide races this weekend, but none were in Nashville on Friday.

Keselowski figures he owes it to his Penske Racing team to show up and practice.

"This team works in the shop on days when I'm sleeping in," Keselowski said. "They work, and they work. They work, and I get all the glory. It's my responsibility to know when it's time for me to get to work.

"Sometimes, it's not always the funnest thing to do or the easiest thing to do. There was a lot of travel (Friday), but it makes it worth it to be sitting here right now."

How was Keselowski's appearance Friday the difference? Crew chief Paul Wolfe said competition is so close that any edge a team can gain makes a big difference.

"One thing we did have going for us was this was the same car we ran here in (April), and we were very fast with it (finishing fifth)," Wolfe said. "That helped, but it's down to fine-tuning to win these races, and you've got to be close to perfect. That's where having Brad here to tune into what he thought he was going to need tonight was part of it.

"That's the kind of effort it's going to take, going back and forth. Obviously, that shows Brad's dedication to the series and winning this championship."

Keselowski qualified 24th and slowly worked his way to the front of the field. He didn't get the lead until after the halfway point but led 97 of the final 100 laps. He was one of several drivers to stay on the track under the race's final caution period, and after a brief tussle with Edwards, Keselowski pulled away for his third win of the season.

The Nationwide Series moves to Kentucky Speedway, in Sparta, Kentucky next Saturday -- June 12, 2010.
For Final Results...     Federated Auto Parts 300 Final Results
Point Standings...     Point Standings After Federated Auto Parts 300

Justin Allgaier Takes Nationwide Pole

This is Allgaier's second pole in 52 Nationwide Series races. His first pole came at Memphis this past October. This is his first pole and fifth top-10 start in 2010. This is his first pole in four races at Nashville. His previous best Nashville start was third, this past April.

Brad Coleman will start second in his first race of 2010, his fourth top-10 start in six races at Nashville. Trevor Bayne (third) posted his third top-10 start at Nashville. It is his sixth in 13 races this season. (nationwide.nascar.com)

Todd Bodine Wins Texas Truck Race

Bodine drove away from four-time and reigning series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. and Timothy Peters on a green-white-checkered flag restart to notch his sixth career victory on TMS' 1.5-mile oval, and third in the summer event here. Bodine snapped a 24-race winless streak dating to June 5, 2009.

Johnny Sauter finished second, followed by rookie polesitter Austin Dillon, former series champion Mike Skinner and super-sub Ken Schrader. Bodine's margin of victory after 169 laps was 1.007-seconds.

Bodine, 46, scored his 18th career series victory and 11th in 53 starts on a 1.5-mile layout. Bodine and Kyle Busch each have scored six wins at TMS, with Busch working on a five-race Nationwide Series streak. The Sprint Cup regular also has one truck series win.

"It's an honor anywhere to say you've won the most races at a track. It's pretty awesome," said Bodine, nicknamed "The Onion" for his bald pate. "We're proud of the fact we can come to Texas and run this well every time. It's someplace we enjoy and being the only six-time (truck series) winner … it was a goal when Kyle won five to come back and win another one. To get that done, I'm pretty proud of that."

Bodine led a race-high 106 laps en route to his first victory and seventh top-five finish in eight 2010 races.

"We've been struggling all year to make the trucks drive good, and this truck was driving fast and wide open. It was fun to drive," Bodine said. "We had a great Tundra. It was an awesome night all around."

Crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. said his Germain Racing crew tries to treat all the series' 1.5-mile layouts the same.

"But it seems we get our stuff figured out this time of the year," Hillman said. "I'm really proud of our guys. We went to work this winter making our trucks lighter and better. I can't say enough about how hard everyone at Germain works. I'm the lucky guy who gets called the crew chief."

Dillon, the grandson of team owner Richard Childress, capped his first series pole with his first top-five finish.

"What a phenomenal job," said Dillon. "I started off really good and lost it in the middle but at the end I raced hard and got us a good finish. I just had a little trouble on the restarts."

Bodine, driver of the No. 30 Toyota, was leading Peters and a pack of only nine trucks on the lead lap when the night's fifth caution waved to remove the slowing truck of Jason White from the field. None of the leaders chose to pit, setting up a seven-lap shootout.

Bodine easily drove away from Peters, who faltered badly on the start from his spot on the outside lane. But Hornaday, who swept both races here in 2008, barged underneath Bodine from third in an attempt to take the lead. Bodine never lifted and had cleared Hornaday's No. 33 Chevrolet when Matt Crafton and David Starr tangled down the backstretch, bringing out the sixth caution on Lap 164 of the scheduled 167.

"That next-to-last restart, Ron got underneath me," Bodine said. "I've not always been the best at restarts, just OK. But when you got Hornaday on the outside you got to get it right. That last one, I didn't spin the tires until I got into third (gear). And they got racing hard and ended up giving us a good lead."