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The need for speed!A RootMetrics review of data performance
A RootMetrics
Special Report
by Patrick Linder
September 11, 2012
With advertisements touting the benefits of LTE and "4G" speed, the introduction of shared data plans, and the continued growth of smartphone ownership, the 2012 mobile landscape is clearly focused on data performance. Halfway through the year, RootMetrics had visited 75 markets,i tested coverage across nearly 100,000 miles within those cities, and performed almost 500,000 drive and indoor data tests using off-the-shelf smartphones to cut through the marketing hype and show what consumers truly experience. Our checkup on the health of the carriers' data networks shows Verizon still firmly entrenched at the top of the data performance list, regional carrier Cricket trailing the pack, and some rather surprising results for the remaining carriers as new battles emerge.
Because one-dimensional reports can be reductive and not reflective of the actual consumer experience, we cast our net wide and looked at the carriers speed performances from several perspectives. To give you both a broad, overall view of data performance and also a more focused look at consistency of download data speed and failure rates, we sorted our 2012 data tests along four evaluation points:
speedThe average download and upload speeds each carrier delivered.
Download speed intervalsHow consistently each carrier delivered speeds that qualified for one of three benchmark categories.
Within market performanceEach carrier's performance not only across the 75 markets but also within those metro areas.
reliabilityHow often each carrier recorded a data failure during our testing.
While Verizon's preponderance of LTE and its contribution to their fast data speeds is certainly one significant takeaway from our first-half results, other notable trends emerged as well. For instance, in markets where they each had LTE available, AT&T offered comparable or even at times better speeds than Verizon (stay tuned for a performance report focused solely on LTE in the near future). At this point, it seems to be a question of network maturity: Verizon simply covers a much greater area with LTE at the moment but AT&T continues to expand.
T-Mobile, meanwhile, often recorded download speeds that were closer to LTE speeds than you might expect and was very close to AT&T in overall performance. The name "HSPA+42" might not have the cachet of "LTE," but it shouldn't be lost in the LTE shuffle.
Though Sprint fell behind in our first-half testing, they spent that time readying their network for an LTE launch and things could change in the second half of the year. MetroPCS, the first carrier to market with LTE, competed neck-and-neck with Sprint in many of our data speed measurements and offered upload speeds equal to those of T-Mobile.
Average speed
With by far the most comprehensive LTE infrastructure available, Verizon easily retained top performer status when comparing average download and upload speeds. Verizon, in fact, was the only carrier to break double digits in our download results, delivering an impressive 13.0 Mbps average download speed. They also offered impressive performance when comparing upload speed. Upload speeds, as you might know, are generally slower than download speeds. With the exception of AT&T, though, Verizon's 7.0 Mbps average upload speed was actually faster than any other carrier's average download speed.
AT&T's entry into LTE led to some impressive numbers. T-Mobile's HSPA+42 backbone also delivered impressive results and became a major story of our testing. These two carriers recorded performances only a step below that of Verizon. T-Mobile's HSPA+42, though, clearly performed better in our download tests than in our upload tests. While AT&T only edged ahead of T-Mobile when comparing average download speed, they pulled far ahead when looking at average upload speed.
Sprint had not yet launched LTE in the first half of 2012 and their data speeds fell far behind the other national carriers. In fact, regional carrier MetroPCS was often the equal of Sprint and at times even outperformed the national carrier. For instance, while at first glance it appears that Sprint offered a slightly better average download speed, the two carriers were in fact statistically indistinguishable. Moreover, MetroPCS pulled far ahead of Sprint when comparing average upload speed.
Cricket significantly trailed all carriers in average download speed, recording 0.6 Mbps. They also placed last in average upload speed, offering a speed of only 0.4 Mbps.
Download speed intervals
Average speed is great, but it doesn't provide a complete picture of carrier performance. To provide a more thorough representation of the typical consumer experience, we looked at how consistently each carrier delivered fast download speeds and, just as important, how often they recorded slow download speeds. To chart this angle of data speed performance, we divided performance across three benchmark speed categories that provide an easy-to-understand continuum of how consumers would experience downloading data:
- Life in the fast lane. How often a carrier recorded speeds above 5 Mbps. What constitutes "4G" speed is a bit muddy, but speeds above 5 Mbps provide a good indication of a 4G consumer experience. To further tease apart the best of the best, we additionally looked at how often each carrier exceeded 15 Mbps in our testing, a speed suitable for virtually any consumer data activity.
- No passing allowed. How often a carrier recorded speeds between 1.5 Mbps and 5 Mbps. These speeds represent a wide swath of "3G" service.
- Caution: potential slowdown ahead. How often a carrier recorded speeds below 1.5 Mbps. The consumer experience changes considerably at these speeds, with frequent slowdowns potentially hampering the data experience.
Life in the fast lane
Verizon dominated when comparing download speed intervals, delivering an impressive 77.4% of their download tests at speeds above 5 Mbps. They also offered the least percentage of tests in the slow bucket. In short, Verizon was the most consistent carrier for delivering fast speeds and also the most consistent at avoiding the slowest speeds.
Beyond Verizon, things get more interesting, especially given T-Mobile's strong performance without the availability of LTE. Their HSPA+42 network proved a major story of our first-half testing. Though AT&T edged ahead of T-Mobile, the distance between the carriers was small. In fact, despite AT&T's rollout of LTE, they were often closer to T-Mobile than to Verizon. Compare, for instance, how often each of these three carriers delivered speeds above 5 Mbps: Verizon did so in 77.4% of our tests, while AT&T did so in 48.1% of our tests and T-Mobile surpassed 5 Mbps in 46.7% of our tests. While T-Mobile can't tout LTE, their HSPA+42 network is turning in some very respectable download speeds and might surprise consumers.
The point of separation
LTE's biggest impact can be seen when looking at topline speed. While T-Mobile compared favorably with AT&T when comparing overall performance above 5 Mbps, we did see separation starting to occur above the 15 Mbps mark. AT&T recorded 13.0% of their tests above this data speed pinnacle, while T-Mobile surpassed this mark in only 6.2% of our tests. LTE simply offered a higher ceiling for data speed performance in our tests.
Verizon's tests add credence to this trend. Their more mature LTE network exceeded 15 Mbps in an eye-catching 37.9% of our tests. Keep in mind that AT&T was in the early phases of their LTE rollout in the first half of 2012 and their speed intervals reflect that nascent growth. As their LTE rollout continues, we'll be interested to see if these intervals grow closer to those that we are seeing from Verizon's more fully developed LTE network.
No passing allowed
Sprint and MetroPCS were a tier below those on the fast track. Both Sprint and MetroPCS recorded nearly 70% of their tests in the slowest bucket, pointing toward a potentially hindered consumer experience while downloading data.ii The difference between these two carriers? Sprint proved much better at the top end of our tests. MetroPCS delivered speeds above 5 Mbps in a scant 0.9% of our tests, while Sprint did so in 17.2% of our tests.
Caution: potential slowdown ahead
Cricket never exceeded 5 Mbps in our download tests and only delivered speeds that fell in the medium bucket 6.3% of the time. A whopping 93.7% of their tests qualified for the slow bucket.iii
Within market benchmark performance
To give consumers an idea of how the carriers performed not only across all markets but also their general trend within markets, we took the speed thresholds from the previous section and used them to establish within-market performance indicators:
- Moving the needle markets. In how many markets did a carrier deliver at least 50% of their download tests at speeds that fell in the fast bucket (above 5 Mbps)?
- Middle speed markets. In how many markets did a carrier deliver at least 50% of their download tests at speeds that fell within the medium bucket (between 1.5 and 5 Mbps)?
- Maybe next time will be faster markets. In how many markets did a carrier deliver at least 50% of their download tests at speeds that fell within the slow bucket (at or below 1.5 Mbps)?
Our goal in this measurement was to see if the carriers were consistent in their performances from market-to-market. To characterize how a carrier performed in a given market, we looked for moments when at least half of their tests fell within one of our three speed buckets.iv We then compared the results each carrier delivered to draw an overall picture of within-market consistency.
Verizon also impressed in this measurement of data performance. They reached "moving the needle" status in a stellar 96.0% of the markets we tested, achieving this level in 72 out of the 75 cities we visited. They also never fell into either of the bottom two categories. They're fast. And they're the most consistent carrier from market to market from this angle of performance.
T-Mobile surprised in this category as well. Despite not offering LTE, T-Mobile reached the "moving the needles" threshold in 31 out of 75 markets (41.3%), while AT&T did so in 25 out of 75 markets (33.3%). T-Mobile also surpassed AT&T in the "middle-speed" category, reaching this mark in 5 out of 75 markets (6.7%), while AT&T did so in 2 out of 75 markets (2.7%). On the flipside, AT&T never fell into the "maybe next time will be faster" category, but T-Mobile tumbled into this slow path in 6 out of 75 markets (8.0%).
The impact of LTE
The interesting aspect of AT&T's performance was the volatility of their results. While T-Mobile might have reached "moving the needle" status in slightly more markets, AT&T recorded faster speeds in their top markets than T-Mobile did. For instance, if we tease apart these "moving the needle" cities and compare how often AT&T and T-Mobile exceeded 15 Mbps, AT&T's LTE service once more pulls away from T-Mobile's HSPA+42 network. AT&T recorded more than 25% of its tests above 15 Mbps in 17 markets; T-Mobile never recorded more than 25% of its tests above 15 Mbps. For comparison, keep in mind that Verizon exceeded this mark in 62 markets.
AT&T's variability in our tests can be traced back to its ongoing rollout of LTE. Each of the 17 markets in which AT&T exceeded 15 Mbps in more than 25% of its tests is part of its LTE network. AT&T's LTE markets are simply much faster than their non-LTE markets. As they continue their LTE rollout, this checkerboard pattern of fast and superfast cities will most likely flatten: in our first round of 2012 testing, though, we found some AT&T cities that offered considerably faster speeds than others.
MetroPCS and Sprint offered much slower within-market speeds than those recorded by the top three carriers. MetroPCS and Sprint recorded nearly identical percentages of markets that qualified for the slowest, "maybe next time will be faster" category: MetroPCS qualified for this category in 74.1% of the markets in which we tested their download speed, while Sprint slipped into the slowest area in 73.3% of their markets. Only Cricket performed worse than these two. MetroPCS qualified for "middle speed" status in 25.9% of the markets we tested, while Sprint never qualified for this level. A quick note of qualification: Sprint's results often showed a sprinkling of tests within both the middle-tier and market-leader categories. In this sense, they "divided the vote" and failed to qualify for either category. MetroPCS, on the other hand, recorded concentrated results within the middle-tier category and offered very little in the way of top speeds. There was a better chance of falling into the slowest category with Sprint, but the potential for fast speeds was also slightly greater.
Cricket lagged behind the other carriers by a significant margin in this measure as well. They fell below the "maybe next time will be faster" threshold in every market tested.
Data reliability
We rounded out our look at data performance by comparing each carrier's average data failure rate. With extremely low failure rates hovering at or below 3.0%, AT&T and Verizon separated themselves from the pack and offered the fewest disruptions during our data tests. Their rates were clearly much better than the other carriers. It's a two-horse race when considering data failures. If reliability of data service is the most important concern for you, AT&T and Verizon could be worth a close look.
First half summary, with a teaser for the rest of 2012
The main stories of the first half of 2012 are 1) Verizon's large LTE network and its continued lead in our data performance testing; 2) T-Mobile's impressive download speeds despite not offering LTE; and 3) AT&T's expanded entry into LTE and its potential for changing the data speed race. With a much smaller LTE footprint than Verizon in the first half of 2012, they trailed Verizon in each dimension of our data speed comparisons. However, they are showing some intriguing possibilities as their network continues to expand, winning several of our RootScore Awards in their LTE-enabled cities.
T-Mobile might not have LTE yet, but don't immediately discount them. T-Mobile offered impressive performance in the first half of 2012, with results that were often close to those of AT&T. The point of separation occurred when looking at download speeds above 15 Mbps. T-Mobile's HSPA+42 network is fast, but it capped out below LTE in our tests. HSPA+42 could be more than adequate for your speed needs and its performance has been a major story of our 2012 testing. If you need or want the absolute upper-tier of speed performance, though, LTE pulled ahead at the 15 Mbps mark.
The distance between the top three carriers and the rest of the field was great. Sprint's a major player on the national scene but failed to impress in our data tests and struggled to distinguish themselves from regional carrier MetroPCS. Cricket remained at the bottom in every data performance measurement.
The second half of 2012 should be interesting. As AT&T's LTE network continues to grow, we're looking forward to see if they can gain ground on Verizon and distance themselves from T-Mobile. Sprint has now started rolling out its first LTE markets and this could certainly shake things up. We're already testing their performance and will let you know what we find. Stay up-to-date with all of our testing by following our blog, our tweets, or our Facebook and Google+ pages.
- We tested the four national carriers in: Akron, OH; Albany, NY; Albuquerque, NM; Allentown, PA; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge, LA; Birmingham, AL; Boston, MA; Bridgeport, CT; Buffalo, NY; Charleston, SC; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Cleveland, OH; Colorado Springs, CO; Columbus, OH; Concord, CA; Dallas, TX; Dayton, OH; Denver, CO; Detroit, MI; El Paso, TX; Fresno, CA; Grand Rapids, MI; Hartford, CT; Honolulu, HI; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Louisville, KY; McAllen, TX; Memphis, TN; Miami, FL; Milwaukee, WI; Minneapolis, MN; Mission Viejo, CA; Nashville, TN; New Haven, CT; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Oklahoma City, OK; Omaha, NE; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Providence, RI; Raleigh, NC; Richmond, VA; Riverside, CA; Rochester, NY; Sacramento, CA; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Sarasota, FL; Seattle, WA; Springfield, MA; St Louis, MO; Tampa, FL; Toledo, OH; Tucson, AZ; Tulsa, OK; Virginia Beach, VA; Washington, DC; Worcester, MA.
- We tested Sprint's performance in all 75 markets and were able to test MetroPCS in the following cities: Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; Bridgeport, CT; Concord, CA; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Grand Rapids, MI; Hartford, CT; Jacksonville, FL; Las Vegas, NV; Los Angeles, CA; Miami, FL; Mission Viejo, CA; New Haven, CT; New York, NY; Orlando, FL; Philadelphia, PA; Providence, RI; Riverside, CA; Sacramento, CA; San Francisco, CA; San Jose, CA; Sarasota, FL; Springfield, MA; Tampa, FL; Toledo, OH; Worcester, MA.
- We were able to test Cricket in the following markets: Albuquerque, NM; Austin, TX; Baltimore, MD; Buffalo, NY; Charleston, SC; Charlotte, NC; Chicago, IL; Cincinnati, OH; Colorado Springs, CO; Dayton, OH; Denver, CO; El Paso, TX; Fresno, CA; Houston, TX; Kansas City, MO; Las Vegas, NV; Louisville, KY; McAllen, TX; Memphis, TN; Milwaukee, WI; Oklahoma City, OK; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Portland, OR; Raleigh, NC; Rochester, NY; Salt Lake City, UT; San Antonio, TX; Tucson, AZ; Tulsa, OK; Washington, DC.
- Keep in mind that looking for how often a carrier reaches a majority within each bucket means that overall percentages won't necessarily add up to 100%: say you have 10 cities and the majority of your tests were fast in 6 of them. In the other four cities, you didn't reach a majority for any of the three measures (say your results were divided 1/3 in the fast bucket, 1/3 in the middle bucket, and 1/3 in the slow bucket). For the results in the 10 cities, then, you would have 60% of markets with the majority of tests in the fast bucket and 0% for the middle bucket and 0% for the slow bucket.


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The Observer News Enterprise is live at tonight's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Be sure to refresh this page for updates from tonight's races.
CHECKERED FLAG: Kevin Harvick wins the 54th Coca-Cola 600. Kasey Kahne is second, Kurt Busch in third, Denny Hamlin in fourth and Joey Logan rounds out the top five. Ryan Newman, Tony Stewart Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex, Jr. and Marcos Ambrose are the rest of your top 10.
Lap 395: Only action in the top 10 is fifth through seventh. Joey Logano passes Ryan Newman for fifth. Newman's teammate, Tony Stewart, is chasing Newman for sixth.
Lap 391: Kevin Harvick has taken the lead from Kasey Kahne, who is in second. Kurt Busch in third place. Denny Hamlin and Ryan Newman round out the top five.
Lap 389: RESTART with Kasey Kahne leading the field on old tires with a bunch of drivers on fresh rubber. Rest of top 10 are Kevin Harvick, Ryan Newman, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Joey Logano, Marcos Ambrose and Tony Stewart.
Lap 385: Leader Kasey Kahne hung out to dry as rest of lead lap cars pit. Race off of pit road is Kevin Harvick, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer.
Lap 384: CAUTION out for debris on the front stretch.
Lap 381: Paul Menard pits to cycle through pit stops. Kasey Kahne is your race leader.
Lap 380: Carl Edwards pits to take two tires and fuel. Paul Menard is your leader.
Lap 379: Carl Edwards leading with Paul Menard in second. Both drivers still have to make a pit stop. Kasey Kahne is in third place. Kevin Harvick and Ryan Newman round out the top five.
Lap 375: Tony Stewart pits, taking right side tires and fuel. Carl Edwards assumes the lead.
Lap 373: Tony Stewart coming to pit next lap. Carl Edwards and Paul Menard still have to pit, as well.
Lap 368: Ryan Newman and Kurt Busch both pit, giving Tony Stewart the lead.
Lap 366: Kevin Harvick hits pit road, surrendering the lead to Ryan Newman.
Lap 363: Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne both hit pit road. Kevin Harvick takes the lead.
Lap 351: Kasey Kahne continues to lead, followed by Kevin Harvick, Joey Logano, Ryan Newman, Kurt Busch, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Tony Stewart and Martin Truex, Jr. in the top 10.
Lap 341: Kasey Kahne takes the lead from Kevin Harvick after working his way up from fourth.
Lap 337: Race restarts with Kevin Harvick leading the field.
Lap 333: Jimmie Johnson slides around Turn 4. Juan Pablo Montoya, Matt Kenseth and Paul Menard collected. Tony Stewart also receives minimal damage from Montoya.
Lap 328: Five cars pit during the caution, including Tony Stewart, Kurt Busch, Marcos Ambrose and Paul Menard.
Lap 327: Red flag is lifted. Race is under a yellow flag. Pit road open on next lap.
Lap 326: Race is red flagged after big crash. No power in the No. 78 car of Kurt Busch.
Lap 325: CAUTION with a big wreck involving Jeff Gordon, Aric Almirola, Mark Martin, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Bobby Labonte. Martin cut down on Almirola, causing the crash.
Lap 324: Race restarted with Kurt Busch and Kevin Harvick at the head of the field.
Lap 319: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. taps Danica Patrick in Turn 3 and 4, who collides with defending Sprint Cup Series champion Brad Keselowski. Patrick and Keselowski with heavy damage.
Lap 312: CAUTION comes out for debris. Landon Cassill has a down tire and comes to pit road. Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson pit during the incident.
PIT STOPS: Kasey Kahne, Kurt Busch, Martin Truex, Jr, Ryan Newman and Kevin Harvick enter pit road as the top five. Kahne leaves as the leader followed by Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Martin Truex, Jr. and Kevin Harvick.
Lap 303: CAUTION comes out for debris in Turn 4. Cars were midway through their pit cycle.
Lap 300: We are three-quarters of the way through the Coca-Cola 600. Kasey Kahne leads Kurt Busch by 5.613 seconds. Matt Kenseth just had surrendered second place after not pitting on the prior yellow flag.
Lap 287: Your top-five drivers are Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman.
Lap 274: Kasey Kahne passes Matt Kenseth for the lead heading down the backstretch into Turn 3.
PIT STOPS: Matt Kenseth stays out. Kasey Kahne leads the race off of pit road, followed by Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson.
Lap 252: CAUTION out as several cars involved. Kyle Busch was reporting a problem. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. appears to have lost an engine. Greg Biffle, Travis Kvapil and Dave Blaney crash after fluid from Earnhardt, Jr.'s car hits Turn 4.
Lap 249: Juan Pablo Montoya is out front, but not as the leader. He was sent to the tail end of the lead lap. He is just car lengths ahead of leader Matt Kenseth.
Lap 243: Caution comes out for debris. Cars pit. Race off of pit road is Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch.
Lap 217: Green flag pit stops start with Tony Stewart and Greg Biffle the first to pit lane.
Lap 210: Kasey Kahne passes Kyle Busch for second place.
Lap 200: Matt Kenseth is your halfway leader at the Coca-Cola 600.
Lap 190: Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Denny Hamlin and Kurt Busch are your top five. Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards, Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon round out the top 10.
Lap 181: Green flag pit stops are completed. Matt Kenseth leads Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin. Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch round out your top five.
Lap 172: Kurt Busch starting to fall off a little bit. He's dropped from second to fourth after being passed by Matt Kenseth and Kasey Kahne. Denny Hamlin hits pit road for the first of the green flag pit stops.
FANS INJURED: Charlotte Motor Speedway has released a statement saying that 10 fans were injured when the cable fell on the track. Seven have been treated and released. Three others were sent to a local hospital for observation.
Lap 165: Michael McDowell and Scott Speed are both officially scored as out of the race in 42nd and 43rd position, respectively.
Lap 160: Three cars off of the track right now, including David Stremme, Michael McDowell and Scott Speed. Drivers in the 26th through 40th positions are at least one lap down.
Lap 142: The track pretty much in all shade now. Top five remains the same with Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth.
Lap 133: Busch brother, Kyle and Kurt, are at the front of the field at the Coca-Cola 600. Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne and Matt Kenseth round out your top five.
RESTART: Starting top 10 drivers — Kyle Busch, Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer and Jamie McMurray.
Lap 127: Red flag is lifted as cars return to track. Cars will be placed in the same order as before the caution because of the unusual circumstances.
Lap 127: Race under caution. Cars apparently are going to have 15 minutes to work on their cars in their pit boxes.
Lap 126: The race has been red flagged to clean up the debris. Kyle Busch's car has received damage to the right side of his car near the wheel. Marcos Ambrose had his brake line lodged loss and a piece of wire stuck in his grill.
Lap 122: A piece of the cable and camera has apparently fallen on to the track. Drivers Marcos Ambrose and Trevor Bayne both received damage from the unusual incident.
Lap 121: CAUTION is out for the third time for debris — a soda bottle and koozie on the track. Danica Patrick is the "Lucky Dog" and will earn the free pass.
Lap 115: Yellow flag pit stops take place. Kyle Busch, Matt Kesneth, Denny Hammlin, Kasey Kahne and Jimmie Johnson exit pit road as the top five.
Lap 113: Casey Mears hits the Turn 4 outside wall to bring out the second caution of the night. Mears had pitted the lap before. Ryan Newman earns the free pass as the first car one lap down.
Lap 100: A quarter of the Coca-Cola 600 is in the books. The top-10 drivers are Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Kurt Busch, Jimmie Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Lap 92: All four Hendrick drivers are in the top 10, including Kasey Kahne (1st), Jimmie Johnson (5th), Jeff Gordon (8th) and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (10th).
Lap 80: Kasey Kahne takes the lead on the outside of Kyle Busch in Turn 4. Seventh lead change of the race. Matt Kenseth lurking behind both drivers in third. Kahne has now led 50 of the 80 laps run so far.
Lap 76: Kyle Busch takes the lead from Kasey Kahne on the outside of Turn 2. It's the sixth lead change of the race.
Lap 74: Kasey Kahne chooses the inside line for the restart. Kyle Busch to his outside in second. There are 26 lead-lap cars.
Lap 72: Four cars take the wave around, including Regan Smith, Dave Blaney, Danica Patrick and David Reutimann.
Lap 70: Pit stops take place under caution. Second pit stop of the night for most teams. Kasey Kahne beats Kyle Busch off of pit road. Denny Hamlin, Matt Kenseth and Kurt Busch round out the top five drives off of pit lane.
Lap 69: CAUTION comes out for the first time for debris in Turn 4. Kasey Kahne's 5.833-second lead is evaporated. Aric Almirola is the "Lucky Dog" and earns the free pass as the first car one lap down.
Lap 65: Danica Patrick has worked her way from the back of the field to 30th. However, she is one lap down to leader Kasey Kahne.
Lap 51: After green flag stops cycle out, Kasey Kahne is your leader with Kyle Busch in second. The rest of the top 10 are Matt Kenseth, Clint Bowyer, Kurt Busch, Denny Hamlin, Mark Martin, Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex, Jr. and Greg Biffle.
Lap 50: Two drivers pegged for speeding on pit road — Casey Mears and David Ragan.
Lap 45: Drivers starting to hit pit road for their first stops of the night, including leader Kasey Kahne, who changes four tires.
Lap 40: Five Toyota drivers in the top five, including Matt Kenseth (second), Clint Bowyer (third), Kyle Busch (fourth), Mark Martin (sixth) and Denny Hamlin (seventh). The Chevrolet of Kasey Kahne continues to lead the race. He was the fastest car in final practice.
Lap 29: Scott Speed is off of the track after appearing to drop a cylinder early in the race.
Lap 27: Trevor Bayne has to hit pit road after a hot dog wrapper gets caught in his grill. He changes all four tires, but goes two laps down in the process.
Lap 25: Several cars going one lap down, including Josh Wise, Landon Cassill and Joe Nemecheck. Scott Speed is four laps down.
Lap 23: Kasey Kahne passes Matt Kenseth for the lead. It's the second lead change of tonight's Coca-Cola 600.
Lap 20: Your top-five drivers are Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin and Kyle Busch.
Lap 11: The No. 95 car of Scott Speed is a lap down and appears to have dropped a cylinder.
Lap 7: Matt Kenseth passes Denny Hamlin for the lead in Turn 4. Kasey Kahne also gets around Hamlin for second place.
Lap 1: Denny Hamlin leads the field to the green flag with Kurt Busch to his outside.
COCA-COLA 600 WINNERS IN THE FIELD: Kasey Kahne (2012, 2008, 2006), Kevin Harvick (2011), Kurt Busch (2010), David Reutimann (2009), Casey Mears (2007), Jimmie Johnson (2003-05), Mark Martin (2002), Jeff Burton (1999, 2001), Matt Kenseth (2000), Jeff Gordon (1994, 1997-98), Bobby Labonte (1995).
Cars heading to the back: Danica Patrick and Trevor Bayne — both with engine changes. Joe Nemecheck also moving to back because of a tramsmission change.
Tonight's starting line up
1. Denny Hamlin
2. Kurt Busch
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Mark Martin
5. Clint Bowyer
6. Kasey Kahne
7. Greg Biffle
8. Kyle Busch
9. Jamie McMurray
10. Ryan Newman
11. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
12. Jimmie Johnson
13. Carl Edwards
14. Jeff Gordon
15. Kevin Harvick
16. Juan Pablo Montoya
17. Martin Truex Jr.
18. Aric Almirola
19. Marcos Ambrose
20. Brad Keselowski
21. Casey Mears
22. Paul Menard
23. JJ Yeley
24. Danica Patrick
25. Tony Stewart
26. David Gilliland
27. Jeff Burton
28. Travis Kvapil
29. Trevor Bayne
30. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
31. Joey Logano
32. Michael McDowell
33. Dave Blaney
34. Bobby Labonte
35. David Ragan
36. Regan Smith
37. Scott Speed
38. David Reutimann
39. David Stremme
40. Timmy Hill
41. Joe Nemechek
42. Landon Cassill
43. Josh Wise

subset: commoncrawl


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The alluring country of Argentina, known for its sultry tango and stunning architecture, stands as an epicenter of Latin American-chic. It is also home to some of the most attractive vineyards in the world, which is why many wine connoisseurs heading to the southern hemisphere find themselves drawn to the Mendoza region, particularly Club Tapiz. A breath-taking historical 1890 estate surrounded by seemingly endless vineyards, Club Tapiz is the place to be if you are searching for the perfect grape and a luxurious experience. Fashioned in the Renaissance style with many original appointments still intact, including vintage pinewood floors, the exclusive hotel makes visitors feel as if they are weekend guests at a spectacular residence. Originally built as the Governors' House, the main building, Casa Zolo, has become an architectural and historical treasure. With just seven elegant and understated rooms, you may feel like you have awoken in a South American dream in which you run the whole show.
Only a few yards from the residence you will find an award-winning vintage winery that produces crisp and full-bodied wines, using the majestic Andean Mountain Range as a spectacular backdrop. This seductive sanctuary also has one of the area's best restaurants, Terruno, where regional dishes blend with international specialties. You will enjoy them with thoughtfully paired artisan wines, of course. Signature dishes, such as asado, best showcase the country's succulent beef and spicy condiments. Groves of olive trees surround the estate and produce a remarkable variety of oils, which then find their way into many of the estate's signature dishes. You may also take a dip in the sparkling swimming pool. The staff to guest ratio is impressive, and guests truly feel as if they are the only ones that matter. Requests, no matter how big or small, never go unattended. If you are looking for some adrenaline release, the area features a variety of activities such as whitewater rafting, trekking and bicycling to get your heart rate up a bit. Regardless of your wishes, Club Tapiz will certainly dazzle all gourmands and oenophiles, as well as those intrigued by all of the impressive wine and natural beauty that Argentina has to offer.
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[AAR] Folk [Sun] 05 February 2012
Comrades! Today we again had more than twenty valiant soldiers fight to further our cause. You can find the official thread at the end of this hyperlink! As usual, if you can cross-post the party may look upon you with benevolence when volunteers are next required (for one of comrade Wolfenswan's missions).
- Cholo
- Buffet
- Internecine II
- Ride of Valkyries (the one with the fog)
- Ride of Valkyries (the one with the attack on Nur)
- Cordonbleu
As fun as it is to play in joint sessions, joint joint sessions and all other types of special session... sometimes it's fun to get back to basics. Thank you to all the comrades who came along to tonight's completely standard Folk session. We had over 20 players, and despite some technical challenges, and then challenges flying air cows in the fog, we managed to play for 3 hours. We even had at least one new face (comrade Brett). It was great fun, and I hope everyone else enjoyed themselves too. Please share your thoughts/screenshots and videos here.


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My friend and I are planning on forming an LLC around some services we are providing.
- I am working fulltime on our services and started the initial work 6 months in advance
- My partner has a fulltime job and is dedicating his off-time to help
- My partner has plans to quit his job once the LLC matches his current level of income
- Both of us will be providing the same buy-in amount.
What would be the best way to split up LLC ownership?