Charlotte Motor Speedway - Carquest Auto Parts 300
RACE WINNER: KASEY KAHNE
Casey Mears: 2nd (started 22nd)
- Another race so close you could taste it! At first the handling of the National Guard Chevy was so wild that Casey nearly lost it, but luckily he made an amazing save. Chad made a great pit strategy call to gain Casey track position at the end but unfortunately Kahne's car was a little better. Still a fantastic performance by this team and that first win is so close.
Scott Wimmer: 9th (started 2nd)
- I think Scott was hoping for a shot at the victory but a Top 10 is nothing to be sad over. His smile during his post-race interview said it all. He can't keep a straight face anymore...he smiles every few seconds it seems. I'm glad he's racing next weekend as well!
Todd Kluever: 15th (started 13th)
- Todd was probably a little disappointed but still got a good finish.
- “We had a really good car at the beginning of the race. I was really proud of Chad and all the guys. We weren’t very good on the bottom, which is kind of unfortunate, but we found the top groove and we ran up there for a while and I think we were one of the few to actually have some success there. I know in the middle part of the race I thought we were really fast up there and passed a lot of cars. Then we adjusted on it and somehow we just got out of whack a little bit. I don’t know if something went wrong with the right spring or something, but we’re gonna find out. I bounced it off the wall running the top groove and that probably didn’t help, so the driver had some help in messing the car up, but, like I said, we weren’t very good on the bottom so we had to go to the top. I was trying with everything I had and then we slipped.”
Kurt Busch: 41st (started 5th)
- Poor Kurt had an up-and-down night that ended badly. At first the #12 appeared out of control, but somehow Kurt drove it to the lead even after hitting the wall several times (and would lead a total of 52 laps). And then the dreaded pit stop. The front tire changer missed some lugs during a green-flag stop so Kurt had to come back in, which of course he was very displeased about, and of course, had a fit over the radio (I notice he likes the word "lovely" when he's very angry). I wish he wouldn't yell so much even though I understand and feel his frustration. What was really ridiculous was ESPN's pit reporter Shannon Spake, who I haven't liked since she was on SPEED. She explained that the reason why Kurt was returning to the pits was because they forgot to give him water. What?
- It only got better when Kurt spun out and crashed by himself soon after the unscheduled stop, while he was unsuccessfully fighting to get back onto the lead lap. Spake was his post-wreck interviewer, and didn't happen to realize that when the cars are at full speed around the track you shouldn't talk so fast and like a (for the lack of a better term) bimbo. Kurt got an expression on his face like a mixture of annoyance and amusement and said something along the lines of, "I didn't hear a word you just said; you're good at that." I must admit I flinched, but he was right. This Spake girl...should not be a pit reporter. I don't care how pretty she is. Krista Voda at least can speak audibly and knows what she's doing.
David Reutimann: 43rd (started 24th)
- David's night didn't even make it to dusk. It all went downhill before the green ever flew, when Danni noticed the Aaron's Camry was spewing water on the pace laps. It didn't take long at all after the race began for the engine to go up in smoke, and David's chance at backing up his great test was gone. No one is sure what happened, but it seems odd. In practice on Thursday JJ Yeley's side window came off and hit David's car, resulting in the Aaron's crew replacing the radiator and other parts that were torn to pieces by the window. Did they miss something? Was it something totally unrelated to the practice incident? Whatever happened, a 43rd really hurt David in points. From 3rd to 5th, tied with Regan Smith, who is 6th.
Other Notes:
- I want to say as little about Kasey Kahne as I can, for I don't want to drop to name-calling like he does. That being stated, I was a sore loser and wanted Casey to rough him up on that last restart.
- Ned Jarrett joined DJ in the booth tonight, which was really fun. Ned is so cute! Michael was also there for the prerace but disappeared quickly. Anyway, they are just about the only good things about ESPN's coverage. I can't believe how many times this station shows the same videos, plays the same music over and over (they have made "Back in the Saddle" by Aerosmith one of my most hated songs) and has the crappiest replays ever.
- Jimmie Johnson. Wow. He is (as Jeff Gordon would say) AWESOME!!! An astonishing, jaw-dropping spinner-outer. He spun out twice and finished 6th. I guess that's why he's a Cup Champion!
