2002 Nascar Busch Series Mock Season

[Jordan Clarke]

I really liked labontefanboy's NASCAR season, as have many others, so I decided that I might do the same thing. The first seven races have been done already, and will be without pictures and number bubbles (you'll see what I mean later on.) except for Nashville (7th race). I'll probably edit it some other time but right now I'm tired so I will do what I can. Not all of these were run the full normal distance because i didn't want to do the whole race. Also thinking about doing a exhibition called The Busch Clash 4 Cash, with cars lower than 20th in the points racing for money.

The season has had 7 different winners for 7 different races. The season opener found Scott Riggs taking his first win in his first start at Daytona, leading only 1 lap. Jack Sprague lead the most laps with 6, but wound up 5th. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. held station and finished where he started, 4th. Jordan Clarke Finished 22 in his debut. (That's me!!!)

2002 EAS/GNC Live Well 250
F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 20 10 S Riggs 182.581 20 1 180 Running
2 38 46 A Lewis, Jr. -0.11 20 0 170 Running
3 9 5 R Hendrick -0.11 20 4 170 Running
4 4 3 D Earnhardt, Jr. -0.20 20 0 160 Running
5 16 24 J Sprague -0.31 20 6* 165 Running
6 27 12 K Earnhardt -0.31 20 0 150 Running
7 1 87 J Nemechek -0.39 20 0 146 Running
8 21 27 J McMurray -0.50 20 0 142 Running
9 17 99 M Waltrip -0.61 20 0 138 Running
10 6 59 S Compton -0.92 20 0 134 Running
11 5 88 J Fuller -1.20 20 0 130 Running
12 30 19 T Sauter -1.55 20 0 127 Running
13 31 92 A Houston -1.94 20 0 124 Running
14 11 37 J Purvis -2.06 20 0 121 Running
15 15 57 J Keller -2.57 20 2 123 Running
16 33 54 K Denton -2.85 20 0 115 Running
17 28 48 K Wallace -4.73 20 0 112 Running
18 29 23 S Wimmer -4.84 20 0 109 Running
19 13 47 S Hmiel -5.08 20 0 106 Running
20 10 21 J Green -5.47 20 4 108 Running
21 35 71 K Lepage -14.98 20 0 100 Running
22 43 94 J Clarke -20.42 20 0 97 Running
23 12 17 M Kenseth -20.74 20 0 94 Running
24 39 63 S Hall -20.84 20 0 91 Running
25 19 18 M McLaughlin -24.85 20 0 88 Running
26 23 60 G Biffle -24.93 20 0 85 Running
27 24 26 L Amick -25.10 20 0 82 Running
28 34 86 J Fultz -25.21 20 0 79 Running
29 41 49 K Shelmerdine -25.28 20 0 76 Running
30 32 95 S Marlin -25.38 20 0 73 Running
31 40 77 A Kirby -25.98 20 0 70 Running
32 7 2 J Sauter -33.83 20 0 67 Running
33 18 25 B Hamilton, Jr. -33.98 20 0 64 Running
34 25 38 C Elder -34.13 20 0 61 Running
35 22 1 J Spencer -34.67 20 0 58 Running
36 2 6 D Green -48.98 20 0 55 Running
37 42 16 C Chaffin -1L 19 0 52 Running
38 36 14 L Foyt -1L 19 0 49 Running
39 3 7 R LaJoie -10L 10 3 51 Accident
40 14 74 C Little -10L 10 0 43 Accident
41 8 36 H Parker, Jr. -10L 10 0 40 Accident
42 37 66 C Mears -11L 9 0 37 Accident
43 26 33 T Raines -11L 9 0 34 Accident

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 2. 1-866RBCTerm.com 200 at Rockingham

The second race had another rookie winner in that of Johnny Sauter. Sauter toasted the field, leading 25 of 40 laps. Kevin Lepage was replaced by Derrike Cope in the 71 before the race. Lepage did not plan to run the race with his team, but lack of drivers on the entry list provoked him to come to S&P.

 

[FloridaFan88]

Those number bubbles look awesome. How did you manage to make those, because I've always wanted to make something like that. And everything is looking good so far, nice work.

 

[nascar1912]

Race 2. 1-866RBCTerm.com 200 at Rockingham

The second race had another rookie winner in that of Johnny Sauter. Sauter toasted the field, leading 25 of 40 laps. Kevin Lepage was replaced by Derrike Cope in the 71 before the race. Lepage did not plan to run the race with his team, but lack of drivers on the entry list provoked him to come to S&P.

What program you using? And also how in the world you got those NATIONWIDE FOX bubbles? Please reponse. Thank you.

 

[labontefanboy]

Wow, talk about neat and clean! That looks really good! What program are you using?

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Thanks guys, it took me a bit to figure out which program I should use, but I decided to use Microsoft Excel. Put everything on a table then print screen, went into Paint.NET, pasted, and began making number bubbles to put on there. I'm sure there's an easier way to do it, without using print screen but i really wasn't thinking at the time lol. As for the number bubbles, They weren't actually mine, which I guess I should state in the first post. They were from a FOX TV Overlay I found on NNRacing. Just resized them, changed colors, and put numbers on them. Took me a while.

 

[Jordan Clarke]

This thread isn't dead. I'm trying to bring it back.

Race 3. Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas

Race 3 of 34 was an interesting one. Jeff Burton had a very dominant car all race, leading 32 of 41 laps but was no the victor. Late race pit strategy shook things up greatly, leaving Bobby Hamilton, Jr. as the benefactor. Burton and some of the other front runners were trapped a lap down after the caution came out during pit stops. Bobby Jr. grabbed his first career win, leading the final 5 laps. Many teams got an unexpected great finish, like unsponsored Chad Little. "We had a great car all day, but it was hard to pass with the starting spot we had, so I'm glad we got the finish we deserve. These guys work their butts off, it's a shame we don't have a sponsor" said Little.

Can't do points till I get caught up with races. Sorry

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 4. Darlingtonraceway.com 200 at Darlington

Another win in Jeff Burton's hands but he could not close the deal. He lead the most laps at 17 and ends up 4th. "When it's our time, we will get one. Don't worry, we'll be back for more", said Burton. Mike McLaughlin was able to fend off Greg Biffle to take home his first victory since Talladega of last year here at the track Too Tough To Tame. Kevin Grubb brings home a 15th place finish for his first full weekend in the #54 Team Bristol Motorsports car; he replaced Kelly Denton before practice at Las Vegas. Jordan Clarke also commented on his 37th place finish, " We got jipped on this one. We were making our way up through the pack when people decided to get racey and we just got tangled up in it. That's a product of not having our qualifying setup in."

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 5. Channellock 250 at Bristol

The first short track on the schedule was Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee, and man was it a wild one. Lyndon Amick notched his first career win, passing Stacy Compton on the final lap. Most of the drivers who finished up front were able to avoid the carnage, while some others managed to soldier on and stay on the lead lap, one being Johnny Sauter, who led the most laps but fell just outside of the top 10. "I'm proud of the guys for the car they built me this weekend, it was wicked fast and we did a nice job rebounding after that contact on track."-Sauter.

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 6. O'Reilly 300 at Texas

Qualifying Results:
Top 10:
1 87 J Nemechek 30.489
2 25 B Hamilton, Jr. 30.621
3 57 J Keller 30.670
4 7 R LaJoie 30.738
5 17 M Kenseth 30.796
6 60 G Biffle 30.801
7 24 J Sprague 30.821
8 18 M McLaughlin 30.821
9 1 J Spencer 30.898
10 9 J Burton 30.916

DNQ's:
#81 Dwayne Leik
#73 Jason Schuler
#32 Dan Pardus
#44 Mike Harmon

On the day of the race, the skies were cloudy and the forecast called for rain. The rain held off until lap 167, ending the race. Joe Nemechek had one of the fastest cars all day after starting on the pole and leading 15 laps, but his camshaft failed just a little past halfway. His car was not the best though. Jeff Burton was the head honcho most of the day, leading the most laps once again at 48, but failed to seal the deal again. Ron Hornaday stayed out when the rains came to pick up his first win of 2002, subbing for Ricky Hendrick! "I knew we had a good car, just not the best, so it was a matter of keeping our heads up and hoping for opportunity to strike, and it did" said Hornaday.

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Sauter picks up associate sponsor for Nashville:
Tim Sauter and AP Performance Racing have announced that Loctite will be on the quarter panels for this weekend's race at Nashville. Loctite has been a small sponsor of Tim since the beginning of this year. "I'm excited, it's only for one race and they're not all over the car but any sponsor is a good sponsor if you didn't have one. Hopefully they will be on for more races."

Fultz returns for 3rd start in 2002
Jeff Fultz will head to Nashville SuperSpeedway this weekend in hopes of qualifying for his 3rd race this season in the Busch series. C&C Boilers will be back on the car, which is also his ARCA sponsor. "We've built a really fast hot rod this weekend and I hope we can come out with a decent finish."

Anyone have any suggestions as far as stuff to add to the season?

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 7. Pepsi 300 at Nashville

Qualifying Results:
Shane Hmiel earned his first pole with a time of 30.589. Starting outside will be Jason Keller, who has yet to win in 2002. Dion Ciccarelli will also make his first start of the year in his #84, as well as Richard Mitchell in the #56, Jason Schuler in the #73, and Jason White #34.

1 47 S Hmiel
2 57 J Keller
3 10 S Riggs
4 25 B Hamilton, Jr.
5 14 L Foyt
6 27 J McMurray
7 21 J Sauter
8 18 M McLaughlin
9 24 J Sprague
10 33 T Raines
11 23 S Wimmer
12 26 L Amick
13 36 H Parker, Jr.
14 19 T Sauter
15 12 K Earnhardt
16 46 A Lewis, Jr.
17 48 K Wallace
18 66 C Mears
19 92 T Bodine
20 7 R LaJoie
21 54 K Grubb
22 16 C Chaffin
23 37 J Purvis
24 2 J Sauter
25 5 R Hornaday
26 28 B Baker
27 32 D Pardus
28 95 S Marlin
29 59 S Compton
30 63 S Hall
31 86 J Fultz
32 73 J Schuler
33 56 R Mitchell
34 49 A Kirby
35 77 J Kitchens
36 75 B Miller
37 94 J Clarke
38 60 G Biffle
39 44 M Harmon
40 8 B Weber
41 52 B Teague
42 84 D Ciccarelli
43 34 J White

Clear skies, a cool breezy day, and everybody's ready to go racing. Pole Sitter Shane Hmiel lead the first 7 laps but faded and eventually ended up a lap down. Jason Keller who started on the outside pole had faded to 16th within the first 6 laps. About that time 4 cars, the 26,7,2, and 94 were battling hard for position and 3 of them went three wide. The 2 pushed up the track into Randy LaJoie, and Lyndon Amick crowded the 7 and payed the price. The 26 and 7 went spinning, the 7 getting minimal damage. Lyndon Amick had gotten going again and ended up hitting the 56 of Richard Mitchell. Mitchell flipped at the beginning of turn 3 and continued to finish 20th. Amick was less fortunate, ending up 26th, the last car on the lead lap. Below are pictures of where they were running when it started and the end of it.

There were a total of 14 cautions in the race and 12 different leaders for 31 lead changes. Todd Bodine lead the majority of the race but had problems toward the end. Jordan Clarke held on for a 23rd after being involved in some wrecks. He led 7 laps by staying on track earlier in the race when the leaders pitted under caution. After Bodine's car fell off Jamie McMurray took over and led almost as much as Todd. He takes the checkers with a win ahead of Stacy Compton who was -0.19 sec. behind. That's two second place finishes for Compton, and two top 2 finishes in a row for McMurray. McMurray was interviewed in vicoty lane afterwards, "I can't believe it! I gotta hand it to all my guys, they built a very great car this weekend, as well as Jason Ratcliff, he's a great crew chief. First Busch win!"

The Nascar Busch Series heads to the big track of Talladega next weekend, where many teams fear they will be involved in the big one. It is the 2nd of 3 restrictor plate races this year.

 

[nbaker9-91]

Think they'll have a big one similar to the actual one from 2002?

 

[Jordan Clarke]

I don't know, you'll have to wait and see

 

[labontefanboy]

Wow, this is looking very nice so far. The ticker and graphics are a really nice touch, this is definitely one of the best mock seasons I've seen!

 

[Jordan Clarke]

If anyone wants a replay of the flip, pm me. I can give the full races at Talladega & California after I post results and stuff for them.

 

[Jordan Clarke]

Race 8. Aaron's 312 at Talladega

Qualifying Results:

Joe Nemechek won an unsurprising pole here at the restrictor plate track of Talladega with a time of 52.767. DF2 Motorsports opted to take the weekend off, so Phoenix Racing decided to put him in the #51 in place of Joe Ruttman who was originally supposed to drive the car. Clarke started 21st.

P # DRIVER TIME
1 87 J Nemechek 52.767
2 59 S Compton 52.775
3 2 J Sauter 52.803
4 1 J Spencer 52.935
5 10 S Riggs 52.969
6 57 J Keller 52.973
7 60 G Biffle 52.973
8 27 J McMurray 52.993
9 47 S Hmiel 53.027
10 99 M Waltrip 53.086
11 5 R Hornaday 53.101
12 7 R LaJoie 53.147
13 48 K Wallace 53.149
14 25 B Hamilton, Jr. 53.155
15 21 J Sauter 53.186
16 12 K Earnhardt 53.197
17 24 J Sprague 53.244
18 18 M McLaughlin 53.280
19 37 J Purvis 53.307
20 36 H Parker, Jr. 53.314
21 51 J Clarke 53.361
22 88 J Fuller 53.373
23 92 T Bodine 53.410
24 19 T Sauter 53.434
25 23 S Wimmer 53.487
26 33 T Raines 53.501
27 26 L Amick 53.536
28 46 A Lewis, Jr. 53.538
29 54 K Grubb 53.614
30 38 C Elder 53.671
31 4 M Wallace 53.677
32 20 C Gibbs 53.751
33 66 C Mears 53.805
34 14 L Foyt 53.956
35 63 S Hall 53.970
36 07 T Fedewa 54.079
37 67 C Smith 54.180
38 49 A Kirby 54.227
39 84 L Gunselman 54.243
40 16 C Chaffin 54.318
41 44 M Harmon 54.618
42 77 J Kitchens 54.622
43 52 B Teague 54.747

An exciting place produced another exciting race here in Talladega for the 2002 Aaron's 312. The biggest crash occured on lap 48, when Tony Raines was turned by Kenny Wallace. Also involved: Points leader Greg Biffle, Jay Sauter, Tim Fedewa, Tim Sauter, Kevin Grubb, and Jamie McMurray. Jimmy Spencer led the most laps but failed to finish due to ignition problems. The driver who led the second most laps, Ron Hornaday, was able to hang around till the end and his odds of winning his second race of the season were high. In the last 5 laps it came down to 5 drivers: Hank Parker, Jr., Jeff Fuller, Casey Mears, Shane Hmiel, and Ron Hornaday. Most of the cars that had been damaged earlier could not keep pace with the leaders, and the last green flag stretch was a long one, with pit stops spreading things out. On the final lap it was Shane Hmiel in the lead....until the backstretch that is. Hank Parker, Jr. made a daring move to the inside to take the lead and hold on for the win. He had the lapped car of Greg Biffle in between him and second place Jeff Fuller as a cushion to allow him to take home his second career victory.

This is the crash that eventually ended Jordan Clarke's day. He would soldier on until lap 98 when the clutch finally gave out.