The 2014 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 was the seventh stock car race of the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, and the 32nd iteration of the event. The race was held on Friday, April 11, 2014, in Darlington, South Carolina, at Darlington Raceway, a 1.366 miles (2.198 km) permanent egg-shaped oval racetrack. The race took the scheduled 147 laps to complete. On the final restart with two to go, Chase Elliott, rookie for JR Motorsports, would manage to charge from sixth to first, passing for the lead on the final turn to win his second career NASCAR Nationwide Series victory and his second win of the season.[1] To fill out the podium, Elliott Sadler and Matt Kenseth, both driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would finish second and third, respectively.
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 7 of 33 of the 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series | |||
| Date | April 11, 2014 | ||
| Official name | 32nd Annual VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 | ||
| Location | Darlington, South Carolina, Darlington Raceway | ||
| Course |
Permanent racing facility 1.366 mi (2.198 km) | ||
| Distance | 147 laps, 200.802 mi (323.159 km) | ||
| Scheduled Distance | 147 laps, 200.802 mi (323.159 km) | ||
| Average speed | 113.751 miles per hour (183.064 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Joe Gibbs Racing | ||
| Time | 28.314 | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Kyle Busch | Joe Gibbs Racing | |
| Laps | 84 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 9 | Chase Elliott | JR Motorsports | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | ESPN2 | ||
| Announcers | Allen Bestwick, Rusty Wallace, Andy Petree | ||
| Radio in the United States | |||
| Radio | Motor Racing Network | ||
Background
edit
The race was held at Darlington Raceway, which is a race track built for NASCAR racing located in Darlington, South Carolina. It is nicknamed "The Lady in Black" and "The Track Too Tough to Tame" by many NASCAR fans and drivers and advertised as "A NASCAR Tradition." It is of a unique, somewhat egg-shaped design, an oval with the ends of very different configurations, a condition which supposedly arose from the proximity of one end of the track to a minnow pond the owner refused to relocate. This situation makes it very challenging for the crews to set up their cars' handling in a way that will be effective at both ends.
Entry list
edit- (R) denotes rookie driver.
- (i) denotes driver who is ineligible for series driver points.
Practice
editFirst practice
editThe first practice session was held on Thursday, April 10, at 1:00 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour.[2] Joey Logano, driving for Team Penske, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 29.033 and an average speed of 169.380 miles per hour (272.591 km/h).[3]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 29.033 | 169.380 |
| 2 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.150 | 168.700 |
| 3 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.165 | 168.613 |
| Full first practice results | ||||||
Final practice
editThe final practice session, sometimes referred to as Happy Hour, was held on Thursday, April 10, at 2:30 PM EST. The session lasted for one hour and 30 minutes.[2] Chris Buescher, driving for Roush Fenway Racing, would set the fastest time in the session, with a lap of 28.865 and an average speed of 170.365 miles per hour (274.176 km/h).[4]
| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 28.865 | 170.365 |
| 2 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 29.140 | 168.758 |
| 3 | 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 29.190 | 168.469 |
| Full Happy Hour practice results | ||||||
Qualifying
editQualifying was held on Friday, April 11, at 4:10 PM EST.[2] Since Darlington Raceway is at least 1.25 miles (2.01 km) in length, the qualifying system was a multi-car system that included three rounds. The first round was 25 minutes, where every driver would be able to set a lap within the 25 minutes. Then, the second round would consist of the fastest 24 cars in Round 1, and drivers would have 10 minutes to set a lap. Round 3 consisted of the fastest 12 drivers from Round 2, and the drivers would have 5 minutes to set a time. Whoever was fastest in Round 3 would win the pole.[5]
Kyle Busch, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, would win the pole after setting a time of 28.314 and an average speed of 173.681 mph (279.512 km/h) in the third round.[6]
No drivers would fail to qualify.
Full qualifying results
edit| Pos. | # | Driver | Team | Make | Time (R1) | Speed (R1) | Time (R2) | Speed (R2) | Time (R3) | Speed (R3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.314 | 173.681 |
| 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.352 | 173.448 |
| 3 | 20 | Matt Kenseth (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.408 | 173.106 |
| 4 | 5 | Kevin Harvick (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.647 | 171.662 |
| 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.716 | 171.249 |
| 6 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.771 | 170.922 |
| 7 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.782 | 170.857 |
| 8 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.830 | 170.572 |
| 9 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.879 | 170.283 |
| 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | -* | -* | 28.990 | 169.631 |
| 11 | 33 | Cale Conley (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 29.113 | 168.914 |
| 12 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | -* | -* | 37.223 | 132.112 |
| Eliminated in Round 2 | ||||||||||
| 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 28.955 | 169.836 | - | - |
| 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 28.963 | 169.789 | - | - |
| 15 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | -* | -* | 29.005 | 169.543 | - | - |
| 16 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 29.131 | 168.810 | - | - |
| 17 | 31 | Dylan Kwasniewski (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 29.167 | 168.602 | - | - |
| 18 | 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | -* | -* | 29.178 | 168.538 | - | - |
| 19 | 40 | Josh Wise (i) | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 29.180 | 168.526 | - | - |
| 20 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 29.203 | 168.394 | - | - |
| 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | -* | -* | 29.297 | 167.853 | - | - |
| 22 | 99 | James Buescher | RAB Racing | Toyota | -* | -* | 29.363 | 167.476 | - | - |
| 23 | 28 | J. J. Yeley | JGL Racing | Dodge | -* | -* | 29.370 | 167.436 | - | - |
| 24 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | -* | -* | 29.578 | 166.259 | - | - |
| Eliminated in Round 1 | ||||||||||
| 25 | 43 | Dakoda Armstrong (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 29.512 | 166.631 | - | - | - | - |
| 26 | 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.532 | 166.518 | - | - | - | - |
| 27 | 93 | Mike Wallace | JGL Racing | Dodge | 29.562 | 166.349 | - | - | - | - |
| 28 | 17 | Tanner Berryhill (R) | Vision Racing | Dodge | 29.582 | 166.236 | - | - | - | - |
| 29 | 55 | Todd Bodine (i) | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.589 | 166.197 | - | - | - | - |
| 30 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 29.679 | 165.693 | - | - | - | - |
| 31 | 87 | Kevin Lepage | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 29.802 | 165.009 | - | - | - | - |
| 32 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 29.896 | 164.490 | - | - | - | - |
| 33 | 46 | Matt DiBenedetto | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 30.041 | 163.696 | - | - | - | - |
| 34 | 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | 30.084 | 163.462 | - | - | - | - |
| 35 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 30.395 | 161.790 | - | - | - | - |
| 36 | 23 | Carlos Contreras | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 30.579 | 160.816 | - | - | - | - |
| 37 | 13 | Matt Carter | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30.638 | 160.507 | - | - | - | - |
| 38 | 91 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 30.659 | 160.397 | - | - | - | - |
| 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 31.162 | 157.808 | - | - | - | - |
| 40 | 10 | Blake Koch | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 31.520 | 156.015 | - | - | - | - |
| Official starting lineup | ||||||||||
*Time not available.
Race results
edit| Fin[7] | St | # | Driver | Team | Make | Laps | Led | Status | Pts | Winnings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 9 | Chase Elliott (R) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 52 | running | 47 | $44,575 |
| 2 | 9 | 11 | Elliott Sadler | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 3 | running | 43 | $33,350 |
| 3 | 3 | 20 | Matt Kenseth (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 0 | running | 0 | $19,700 |
| 4 | 1 | 54 | Kyle Busch (i) | Joe Gibbs Racing | Toyota | 147 | 84 | running | 0 | $25,325 |
| 5 | 15 | 22 | Joey Logano (i) | Team Penske | Ford | 147 | 0 | running | 0 | $15,775 |
| 6 | 12 | 42 | Kyle Larson (i) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 2 | running | 0 | $17,825 |
| 7 | 4 | 5 | Kevin Harvick (i) | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 5 | running | 0 | $13,510 |
| 8 | 8 | 7 | Regan Smith | JR Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 36 | $20,370 |
| 9 | 10 | 6 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | running | 35 | $19,075 |
| 10 | 5 | 3 | Ty Dillon (R) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 34 | $20,100 |
| 11 | 7 | 2 | Brian Scott | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 33 | $18,625 |
| 12 | 16 | 01 | Landon Cassill | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 32 | $18,550 |
| 13 | 18 | 16 | Ryan Reed (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 147 | 0 | running | 31 | $18,500 |
| 14 | 23 | 28 | J. J. Yeley | JGL Racing | Dodge | 147 | 0 | running | 30 | $18,450 |
| 15 | 19 | 40 | Josh Wise (i) | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 0 | $18,800 |
| 16 | 20 | 19 | Mike Bliss | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 147 | 0 | running | 28 | $18,525 |
| 17 | 27 | 93 | Mike Wallace | JGL Racing | Dodge | 147 | 1 | running | 28 | $18,425 |
| 18 | 25 | 43 | Dakoda Armstrong (R) | Richard Petty Motorsports | Ford | 147 | 0 | running | 26 | $18,175 |
| 19 | 31 | 87 | Kevin Lepage | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 25 | $18,125 |
| 20 | 26 | 4 | Jeffrey Earnhardt | JD Motorsports | Chevrolet | 147 | 0 | running | 24 | $18,750 |
| 21 | 30 | 14 | Eric McClure | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 147 | 0 | running | 23 | $18,000 |
| 22 | 13 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | crash | 22 | $17,945 |
| 23 | 17 | 31 | Dylan Kwasniewski (R) | Turner Scott Motorsports | Chevrolet | 146 | 0 | running | 21 | $17,895 |
| 24 | 36 | 23 | Carlos Contreras | Rick Ware Racing | Chevrolet | 145 | 0 | running | 20 | $17,820 |
| 25 | 22 | 99 | James Buescher | RAB Racing | Toyota | 144 | 0 | running | 19 | $18,250 |
| 26 | 32 | 52 | Joey Gase | Jimmy Means Racing | Chevrolet | 144 | 0 | running | 18 | $17,695 |
| 27 | 28 | 17 | Tanner Berryhill (R) | Vision Racing | Dodge | 144 | 0 | running | 17 | $17,645 |
| 28 | 29 | 55 | Todd Bodine (i) | Viva Motorsports | Chevrolet | 143 | 0 | running | 0 | $17,570 |
| 29 | 35 | 70 | Derrike Cope | Derrike Cope Racing | Chevrolet | 141 | 0 | running | 15 | $17,535 |
| 30 | 34 | 76 | Tommy Joe Martins (R) | Martins Motorsports | Dodge | 141 | 0 | running | 14 | $11,795 |
| 31 | 21 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Jeremy Clements Racing | Chevrolet | 137 | 0 | running | 13 | $17,440 |
| 32 | 11 | 33 | Cale Conley (i) | Richard Childress Racing | Chevrolet | 136 | 0 | running | 0 | $17,395 |
| 33 | 39 | 74 | Mike Harmon | Mike Harmon Racing | Dodge | 136 | 0 | running | 11 | $17,370 |
| 34 | 6 | 60 | Chris Buescher (R) | Roush Fenway Racing | Ford | 119 | 0 | running | 10 | $17,350 |
| 35 | 24 | 44 | David Starr | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 67 | 0 | crash | 9 | $17,299 |
| 36 | 37 | 13 | Matt Carter | MBM Motorsports | Toyota | 30 | 0 | rear gear | 8 | $10,520 |
| 37 | 14 | 39 | Ryan Sieg (R) | RSS Racing | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | crash | 7 | $16,500 |
| 38 | 33 | 46 | Matt DiBenedetto | The Motorsports Group | Chevrolet | 7 | 0 | overheating | 6 | $10,426 |
| 39 | 38 | 91 | Jeff Green | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 6 | 0 | brakes | 5 | $10,315 |
| 40 | 40 | 10 | Blake Koch | TriStar Motorsports | Toyota | 2 | 0 | vibration | 4 | $10,290 |
| Official race results | ||||||||||
Standings after the race
edit
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References
edit- ^ Hinton, Ed (April 12, 2014). "Chase Elliott appears to be special". ESPN. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site - 2014 Nationwide Darlington Race Info Page". Jayski's NASCAR Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on May 8, 2014. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (April 10, 2014). "Joey Logano fastest in Thursday's first of two Nationwide Series practices at Darlington". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (April 10, 2022). "Chris Buescher only driver to eclipse 170 mph in Thursday's second Nationwide Series practice at Darlington". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "NASCAR Qualifying Rules". Jayski's Silly Season Site. Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Bonkowski, Jerry (April 11, 2014). "Kyle Busch holds off Chase Elliott to earn pole for Friday night's Nationwide Series race at Darlington". MotorSportsTalk | NBC Sports. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
- ^ "2014 VFW Sport Clips Help a Hero 200 - The Third Turn". The Third Turn. Retrieved August 10, 2022.