Nationwide Series Breakdown: 23rd Annual F.W. Webb 200

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*In A Nutshell:* Was it Saturday afternoon or Sunday? It could have been either after Sprint Cup regulars put on a dominating show that saw Brad Keselowski emerge victorious for the second time in 2012. Keselowski easily took the pole with Kasey Kahne beside him, and both led early. And even if Keselowski hadn’t made his race winning pass, the victory still would almost certainly have gone to Cup regular Kevin Harvick. In fact, with the exception of yellow flag laps, Nationwide regulars did not lead during the race. Nationwide regulars did comprise the rest of the top 5, with Austin Dillon, Sam Hornish, Jr., and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. filling those spots. Dillon, the top finishing NNS regular, took home a $100,000 bonus via the Dash for Cash program, which rewards series regulars in certain races.

NHMS Success and Dashed Hopes Link Newman, Burton

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As the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series prepares to race at its only New England venue this week, talk is also heating up about Silly Season. As drivers and sponsors begin to make moves (Matt Kenseth has already announced that he will be leaving Roush Fenway Racing for an as-of-yet undisclosed team, while sponsor U.S. Army has declared its plans to leave NASCAR racing at the end of the year), there are always questions. After the Army announcement earlier this week, Ryan Newman is suddenly in the midst of the talk, while in the background, quiet speculation has been made about the career of another veteran driver, Jeff Burton.

Four Burning Questions: Military Sponsorships and Chase Hopefuls

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*How big of a distraction will the A.J. Allmendinger debacle be for Penske Racing?*

Now that we’ve had a few days for the shock of Allmendinger’s suspension to wear off, it’s time to start looking ahead. While we don’t know for sure what is going to happen to Allmendinger long term, we do know that Sam Hornish Jr. is once again filling in this weekend in New Hampshire.

Is Second Place Already the First Loser in the Truck, Nationwide Series?

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Ironically (or perhaps not surprisingly), it’s the two NASCAR national touring series that don’t have a Chase system that are currently enjoying tight races atop the standings as the 2012 season hits the summer stretch. The Nationwide ranks is playing host to Sadler vs. Stenouse Redux, featuring Austin Dillon, while the Truck ranks see four regulars all within nine markers of each other heading into Iowa.

The commonalities between the two are numerous. Richard Childress Racing has a presence in both. Both feature a Dillon brother. And both now have a second-place driver facing the first major uncertainties of their respective seasons. When Austin Dillon takes to the track this Saturday at Loudon, it will be without crew chief Danny Stockman, who has been suspended after his No. 3 team was penalized for rules violations each of the last two race weekends. And when Justin Lofton leaves Iowa, the No. 6 team faces an uncertain sponsorship situation, following the announcement this week that backer CollegeComplete.com was departing.

Kenny Wallace Driver Diary: Bad Luck, Good Racing…and the Wizard

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Michigan was really disappointing. We qualified 10th and had a really good car. It gave us no warning whatsoever; I guess the motor broke right as we were coming to get the green flag. As we were coming to the green flag, I went to take off and the motor blew up right then. That’s the second time that’s ever happened in my career. It happened at Phoenix back in like 1993, where my motor blew up on the very first lap. I guess if you race enough like me, those things will happen. So that was a bummer. It was just that quick at Michigan: we qualified 10th, it blew up coming to take the green flag and that’s it, we were out of the race.