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2014 Federated Auto Parts 400

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2014 Federated Auto Parts 400
Race details[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Race 26 of 36 in the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Date September 6, 2014 (2014-09-06)
Location Richmond International Raceway
Richmond, Virginia
Course Permanent racing facility
0.75 mi (1.2 km)
Distance 400 laps, 300 mi (482.803 km)
Weather Partly cloudy with a temperature of 88 °F (31 °C); wind out of the WSW at 6 miles per hour (9.7 km/h)
Average speed 104.702 mph (168.502 km/h)
Pole position
Driver Team Penske
Time 21.324
Most laps led
Driver Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Laps 383
Winner
No. 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske
Television in the United States
Network ABC & MRN
Announcers Allen Bestwick, Dale Jarrett and Andy Petree (Television)
Joe Moore and Jeff Striegle (Booth)
Dave Moody (Backstretch) (Radio)
Nielsen Ratings 3.0/5 (Final)
2.8/5 (Overnight)
4.92 Million viewers[10]

The 2014 Federated Auto Parts 400 was a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stock car race that was held on September 6, 2014, at Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia. Contested over 400 laps, it was the 26th race of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and the final race prior to the Chase for the Sprint Cup, to decide the series champion. Brad Keselowski finished first after he dominated the race, leading 383 of the race's 400 laps. Jeff Gordon finished second while Clint Bowyer, Jamie McMurray, and Kevin Harvick rounded out the top five. The top rookies of the race were Kyle Larson (11th), Austin Dillon (20th), and Justin Allgaier (28th).

Previous week's race

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Kasey Kahne took the lead on the second green-white-checker attempt and held off Matt Kenseth to score his first win of the season, at the Oral-B USA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Kahne felt that his car was "all over the place during the race but the guys stayed with me and worked hard", but felt proud that they had sealed his place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Kenseth described the last two laps as "really intense", but also felt that "things are looking up" for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. His team mate Denny Hamlin finished third, but felt he "couldn't capitalize, couldn't get the restarts and couldn't accelerate", while third was the best he could have imagined for the race.[11]

Report

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Background

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Richmond International Raceway (RIR) is a 0.75 miles (1.21 km), D-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in Henrico County. It hosts the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, and formerly hosted a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, a Verizon IndyCar Series race, and two United States Auto Club sprint car races.

With the race weekend being the final event before the Chase for the Sprint Cup commenced, there were numerous scenarios in play in order for the remaining places to the 16-driver Chase to be sealed. Numerous drivers inside the top 30 in points had the opportunity to seal a spot in the Chase with a victory in Richmond, while Ryan Newman, Greg Biffle, Clint Bowyer and Kyle Larson. With them being inside the top 30 in points, Paul Menard, Austin Dillon, Jamie McMurray, Brian Vickers, Marcos Ambrose, Casey Mears, Martin Truex Jr., Tony Stewart, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Danica Patrick, Justin Allgaier, Michael Annett, David Gilliland, David Ragan and Cole Whitt could only qualify for the Chase with a win.[12]

Instead of using the normal 33, Circle Sport Racing team owner Joe Falk ran the number 90 to honor former team owner and Richmond native Junie Donlavey.

Entry list

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The entry list for the Federated Auto Parts 400 was released on Tuesday, September 2, 2014 at 8:32 a.m. Eastern time. Forty-four drivers were entered for the race.

No. Driver Team Manufacturer
1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
2 Brad Keselowski (PC2) Team Penske Ford
3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet
14 Tony Stewart (PC3) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
16 Greg Biffle Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
20 Matt Kenseth (PC5) Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford
23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota
24 Jeff Gordon (PC6) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota
27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet
32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford
34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford
36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
37 Mike Bliss (i) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet
38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford
40 Landon Cassill (i) Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet
41 Kurt Busch (PC4) Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford
47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet
48 Jimmie Johnson (PC1) Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet
55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota
66 Joe Nemechek (i) Identity Ventures Racing Toyota
75 Clay Rogers (i) Beard Motorsports Chevrolet
78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
93 J. J. Yeley (i) BK Racing Toyota
98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet
99 Carl Edwards Roush-Fenway Racing Ford
Official entry list
Key Meaning
(R) Rookie
(i) Ineligible for points
(PC#) Past champions provisional

Practice

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First practice

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Kevin Harvick was the fastest in the first practice session with a time of 20.912 and a speed of 129.112 mph (207.786 km/h).[13] The session was three hours in length – unusual for NASCAR – because Goodyear brought an entirely new tire compound and NASCAR wanted the teams to have as much time as possible to test the new tires.[14]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 20.912 129.112
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 20.962 128.805
3 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 20.977 128.712
Official first practice results

Final practice

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Carl Edwards was the fastest in the final practice session with a time of 22.156 and a speed of 121.863 mph (196.119 km/h).[15] Brian Vickers switched to a backup car after blowing the left-rear tire of his car, which resulted in hitting the wall in turn two. Upon exiting his car, Vickers stated that he had "lost the left rear going down the front stretch" and that he "did the best I could to keep it off the wall".[16]

Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer Time Speed
1 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 22.156 121.863
2 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 22.160 121.841
3 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 22.179 121.737
Official final practice results

Qualifying

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Brad Keselowski won the pole with a time of 21.324 and a speed of 126.618 mph (203.772 km/h); it was the seventh pole of his Sprint Cup career. Keselowski expressed that it was "a great start to the weekend but still got a long ways to go" but also stated that he was "excited and I feel like we have a shot to win". Jeff Gordon joined Keselowski on the front row, praising his rival's lap time; he was almost a tenth of a second clear at the end of qualifying. Gordon praised his own team's ethic as well, stating "to be up here on the front row, that's certainly a great effort".[17] Clay Rogers, who was attempting to make his first start, was the only driver that failed to qualify.

Qualifying results

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Pos No. Driver Team Manufacturer R1 R2
1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 21.574 21.324
2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.441 21.422
3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.481 21.446
4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.516 21.453
5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 21.482 21.486
6 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 21.548 21.491
7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.534 21.518
8 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.590 21.586
9 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.566 21.615
10 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.604 21.658
11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.535 21.676
12 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.583 21.693
13 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.629
14 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.653
15 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 21.653
16 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.666
17 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 21.674
18 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 21.688
19 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 21.700
20 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 21.706
21 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.713
22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 21.720
23 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 21.726
24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 21.727
25 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 21.730
26 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 21.735
27 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 21.737
28 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 21.773
29 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 21.794
30 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 21.812
31 90 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 21.824
32 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 21.830
33 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 21.873
34 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 21.882
35 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 21.889
36 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 21.903
37 32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford 21.911
38 93 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 21.922
39 37 Mike Bliss Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.064
40 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 22.085
41 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 22.174
42 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 0.000
43 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 0.000
Did not qualify
44 75 Clay Rogers Beard Motorsports Chevrolet 21.993
Official qualifying results

Race

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First half

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Start

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Brad Keselowski won the race from the pole position.

The race was scheduled to start at 7:43 p.m. Eastern time, but started five minutes later with Brad Keselowski leading the field to the green. Keselowski held the race lead for the majority of the first stint, before he was passed by Kevin Harvick, on lap 43. The caution flag flew for the first time, for a scheduled competition caution on lap 51, due to rain showers earlier in the day; Keselowski retook the lead on pit road, and held the lead for the restart, on lap 58. Again, Keselowski led for a large portion of the race, before Harvick retook the lead on lap 120. Further down the order, Matt Kenseth made light contact with the wall in turn 1, but the caution flag was not brought out until lap 124. However, this was for an unrelated incident, as debris on the backstretch brought out the second caution of the race. Keselowski returned to the lead after his pit crew bettered Harvick's crew for their respective service; it was a lead he would not relinquish for the rest of the night.

Second half

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Drunk fan on the fence

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The race restarted on lap 132, and Keselowski continued to maintain order at the head of the order, and in the process, led his 1-thousandth lap of the season on lap 158. Debris brought out the third caution of the race on lap 262, with the restart on lap 271. One further caution occurred later in the race, when a fan ascended the catch fencing at turn 4, on lap 330.[18][19] The fan was later arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and being drunk in public. The race restarted with 64 laps to go, and Keselowski held the front until the end – having led 383 of the race's 400 laps – to take his fourth win of the season and the top seeding for the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Post-race

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Keselowski stated in his post-race interview that he had "pinched myself once to make sure I wasn't dreaming. These are nights you don't forget as a driver and you live for", while stating that his car was "just flying" and that he "couldn't ask for a better way to enter the Chase than to win and take the first seed". Clint Bowyer finished third, and failed to overturn the points disadvantage he had, to make the Chase. Bowyer expressed disappointedly that it was "definitely frustrating not making that Chase, but like I said, when you do make the Chase, you want it to be for a championship, not just ride around in it".[20] After his eighth-place finish, Jimmie Johnson was taken to the infield care center due to dehydration. Hendrick Motorsports team mate Dale Earnhardt Jr. – who was 12th in the finishing order – put the cause down to the ambient conditions, while also stating that he "thought I might have some trouble with it because I had a sinus cold all week" and that he "must have something going on — something that didn't agree with him today that he ate or drank". Another Hendrick driver, Jeff Gordon, also felt the conditions in his car, stating that he knew "there were a couple times when I felt like I was cramping a little bit as well".[21]

Race results

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Pos Grid No. Driver Team Manufacturer Laps Points
1 1 2 Brad Keselowski Team Penske Ford 400 48
2 2 24 Jeff Gordon Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 42
3 6 15 Clint Bowyer Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 41
4 15 1 Jamie McMurray Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 40
5 4 4 Kevin Harvick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 40
6 5 22 Joey Logano Team Penske Ford 400 38
7 9 41 Kurt Busch Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 37
8 3 48 Jimmie Johnson Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 36
9 12 31 Ryan Newman Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 400 35
10 26 43 Aric Almirola Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 400 34
11 8 42 Kyle Larson (R) Chip Ganassi Racing Chevrolet 400 33
12 24 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 400 32
13 18 55 Brian Vickers Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota 400 31
14 20 18 Kyle Busch Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 400 30
15 19 14 Tony Stewart Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 29
16 13 10 Danica Patrick Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet 400 28
17 21 5 Kasey Kahne Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet 399 27
18 14 27 Paul Menard Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 399 26
19 17 16 Greg Biffle Roush Fenway Racing Ford 398 25
20 28 3 Austin Dillon (R) Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet 398 24
21 11 11 Denny Hamlin Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 398 23
22 10 99 Carl Edwards Roush Fenway Racing Ford 396 22
23 23 47 A. J. Allmendinger JTG Daugherty Racing Chevrolet 396 21
24 32 36 Reed Sorenson Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 396 20
25 29 78 Martin Truex Jr. Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet 396 19
26 7 17 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Roush Fenway Racing Ford 396 18
27 33 9 Marcos Ambrose Richard Petty Motorsports Ford 395 17
28 27 51 Justin Allgaier (R) HScott Motorsports Chevrolet 395 16
29 30 38 David Gilliland Front Row Motorsports Ford 395 15
30 35 26 Cole Whitt (R) BK Racing Toyota 394 14
31 22 13 Casey Mears Germain Racing Chevrolet 394 13
32 36 98 Josh Wise Phil Parsons Racing Chevrolet 394 12
33 42 34 David Ragan Front Row Motorsports Ford 394 11
34 34 40 Landon Cassill Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 394 0
35 39 37 Mike Bliss Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 394 0
36 31 90 David Stremme Hillman-Circle Sport LLC Chevrolet 392 8
37 40 7 Michael Annett (R) Tommy Baldwin Racing Chevrolet 392 7
38 25 23 Alex Bowman (R) BK Racing Toyota 391 6
39 37 32 Travis Kvapil Go FAS Racing Ford 391 5
40 41 66 Joe Nemechek Identity Ventures Racing Toyota 388 0
41 16 20 Matt Kenseth Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota 330 3
42 43 83 Ryan Truex (R) BK Racing Toyota 313 2
43 38 93 J. J. Yeley BK Racing Toyota 31 0

Race statistics

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  • 4 lead changes among different drivers
  • 4 cautions for 27 laps
  • Time of race: 2:51:55
  • Brad Keselowski won his fourth race in 2014

Media

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Television

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ABC
Booth announcers Pit reporters
Lap-by-lap: Allen Bestwick
Color-commentator: Dale Jarrett
Color commentator: Andy Petree
Jerry Punch
Dave Burns
Vince Welch
Jamie Little

Radio

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MRN Radio
Booth announcers Turn announcers Pit reporters
Lead announcer: Joe Moore
Announcer: Jeff Striegle
Backstretch: Dave Moody Winston Kelly
Steve Post
Dustin Long
Woody Cain

Standings after the race

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References

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  1. ^ "2014 Sprint Cup Series Schedule". ESPN. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  2. ^ "Richmond International Raceway". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. January 3, 2013. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  3. ^ "Entry List". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  4. ^ "First Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  5. ^ "Final Practice Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "Qualifying Results". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. September 5, 2014. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  7. ^ "Federated Auto Parts 400 Results". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  8. ^ "Points Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  9. ^ "Manufacturer Standings". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  10. ^ Paulsen (September 9, 2014). "Sprint Cup TV Ratings: ABC's Richmond Race Hits Multi-Year Low". SportsMediaWatch.com. Sports Media Watch. Retrieved September 10, 2014.
  11. ^ Pistone, Pete (September 1, 2014). "Kahne Clinches with Atlanta Win". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 3, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  12. ^ "Chase-clinching scenarios for Richmond". NASCAR.com. Official NASCAR Release. September 1, 2014. Retrieved September 2, 2014.
  13. ^ Staff Report (September 5, 2014). "Harvick tops practice at Richmond". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  14. ^ Pockrass, Bob (September 5, 2014). "Kevin Harvick fast again, leads first Cup practice at Richmond". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  15. ^ Staff Report (September 5, 2014). "Edwards, Harvick top Sprint Cup practices". NASCAR.com. NASCAR Media Group, LLC. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  16. ^ Estrada, Chris (September 5, 2014). "NASCAR: Carl Edwards tops final practice; Brian Vickers to backup after early crash". motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com. NBC Sports. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  17. ^ Long, Dustin (September 5, 2014). "Keselowski Wins Richmond Pole". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 6, 2014. Retrieved September 5, 2014.
  18. ^ Busbee, Jay (September 6, 2014). "Insane fan climbs to top of catch fence during NASCAR race". sports.yahoo.com. Yahoo Sports. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  19. ^ Owens, Jeff (September 6, 2014). "Richmond race halted by fan climbing fence". SportingNews.com. Sporting News. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  20. ^ Pistone, Pete (September 6, 2014). "Keselowski Grabs No. 1 Seed". MRN.com. Motor Racing Network. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  21. ^ Ryan, Nate; Gluck, Jeff (September 6, 2014). "Jimmie Johnson treated for dehydration after Richmond race". usatoday.com. Gannett Satellite Information Network, Inc. Retrieved September 7, 2014.


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