On a chilly afternoon set for speedway racing in Kansas, mechanical failures ran rampant for racing teams and rivals alike. Beginning with A.J. Allmendinger, the Penske-based pole winner who lead the way at lap 44 before discovering a leak of gasoline that cost the driver 10 laps down, denying the young No.22 driver of his first victory in the Sprint Cup Series. He finished 32nd. "I know I'm not the only one here that's frustrated," said Allmendinger, who finished 32nd. "We all are. We were off to such a great start. We had pole, the No. 22 [Dodge] was so good that first run. Our car was fast out front, and then the gremlins hit us."
           And maybe it was some Twilight Zone kind of stuff. Despite a 2nd place finish for the team, the Michael Waltrip Racing duo of Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin suffered valve breakdowns. "I don't think I've seen that many engine failures in a Cup race in a long time," said Ty Norris, executive vice president and general manager at MWR. "... It's definitely a little bit of a scratch-your-head moment right now."
It sure didn't look good for Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch neither, both bowing out of the race with engine failures. And Jeff Gordon received warnings about not keeping up with the minimum speedway racing speed. In an interview with NASCAR.com Gordon said, ""We obviously had a valve spring I believe, something in the valve train that broke they gave us more gear here this time, and I think that took a toll on not only us, but on a lot of guys out there. I felt like it was turning a lot of RPM, even though we have a rev limiter to keep it from going over what we think it needs to, and it never did. But still, it caused a problem."
           The conditions were a windy and cold departure from the expectations of a warmer temperature. The weather not only affected the overall upkeep of the vehicles but also fuel mileage. Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne had issues with running dry just before getting to pit road.
           It's expected for the Kansas speedway to undergo a repaving soon. However, the pavement was not reported to be a factor. However the cold conditions forced all cars to go at the maximum RPM.
           And maybe it was some Twilight Zone kind of stuff. Despite a 2nd place finish for the team, the Michael Waltrip Racing duo of Clint Bowyer and Mark Martin suffered valve breakdowns. "I don't think I've seen that many engine failures in a Cup race in a long time," said Ty Norris, executive vice president and general manager at MWR. "... It's definitely a little bit of a scratch-your-head moment right now."
It sure didn't look good for Bobby Labonte and Kurt Busch neither, both bowing out of the race with engine failures. And Jeff Gordon received warnings about not keeping up with the minimum speedway racing speed. In an interview with NASCAR.com Gordon said, ""We obviously had a valve spring I believe, something in the valve train that broke they gave us more gear here this time, and I think that took a toll on not only us, but on a lot of guys out there. I felt like it was turning a lot of RPM, even though we have a rev limiter to keep it from going over what we think it needs to, and it never did. But still, it caused a problem."
           The conditions were a windy and cold departure from the expectations of a warmer temperature. The weather not only affected the overall upkeep of the vehicles but also fuel mileage. Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne had issues with running dry just before getting to pit road.
           It's expected for the Kansas speedway to undergo a repaving soon. However, the pavement was not reported to be a factor. However the cold conditions forced all cars to go at the maximum RPM.
Source...