RACE WINNER: MARTIN TRUEX JR.!!
Before anything, I’d like to send my condolences to the France family and all those who knew Bill France Jr. He passed peacefully away today at his home during the race at the age of 74. I was shocked to hear this news and saddened despite the fact that I am not familiar with him (only been a fan since 2003). He helped build NASCAR into the huge success it is today and the sport has lost another great person this year.
Martin Truex Jr.: 1st (started 26th)
- For the second week in a row, one of our drivers got his first win! Martin dominated his hometown race by leading 216 laps. His car was excellent thanks to crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the whole Bass Pro Shops team. I was pretty nervous during the last stint knowing that the #1 Chevy wasn’t as good on restarts as Martin’s biggest competitor, Ryan Newman, but the other drivers on the track were kind and did not bring out any cautions at the end (and, to all those conspiracy theorists out there, that includes a flat right rear for Jimmie Johnson).
- It was wonderful to see the celebration in Victory Lane with his long-time girlfriend Sherry, his father and a visit from Dale Jr. I couldn’t help but be a little sad because of the bittersweet nature, though. How do you have a victory party when you know someone beloved by NASCAR has died just hours before? How should you act? Do winning festivities seem rude or disrespectful? It is just a difficult situation. I am so immensely proud and excited for Martin’s first Cup win, but man… when they zoomed in on the American flag flying at half-mast over Victory Lane, I felt myself choking up.
- Quotes:
“Man. I just don't know what to say. I've got to thank all these guys and everyone at DEI for all their hard work in times of change and times when people don't really know what's going on and they need some leadership and some direction, I'm just real happy to be the one here in victory lane. It couldn't come at a better race track for us and for Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet and everybody involved. This is just unbelievable, man. What an unbelievable race car we had today.
“He (Dale Jr.) said (in Victory Lane), 'I told you, you could do it, man.' It means a lot. He's been a great friend. He said, 'I'll see you at the house tonight.' So we're going to have some fun.”
Race2Win
- This win moves Martin up to 13th in points. Congratulations, Martin and the Bass Pro Shops team! Perfect race!
Casey Mears: 13th (started 41)
- It was a horrible qualifying run, but some pit strategy (two tires during a stop) launched the #25 National Guard Chevy into the top-20. He remained there for most of the race. Because of long green flag runs and green flag pit stops, Casey went a lap down for some time. He got the free pass near the end of the race and gained a spot when teammate Jimmie Johnson pitted for a flat tire. Another solid run for this team. He is now 27th in points.
Brian Vickers: 19th (started 24th)
- From the drop of the green flag, Brian began passing cars and moved into the top-20. Like Casey, some pit strategy launched him into the top-10, where he ran comfortably until a tire-wear problem forced him to pit under the green flag and lose two laps. At one point, Brian got in front of leader Ryan Newman during a restart and was able to stay ahead of the leaders for a long time. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to make up that lap as a caution refused to fall and Martin repassed him. However, perseverance paid off and as cars dropped out of the race, the #83 Red Bull Toyota picked up positions.
-Quotes:
“We had a really good car and the tires weren't lasting today. It wasn't a really good tire and everybody was cutting tires, cording tires and blowing tires. We ended up cording the right rear and had to come in and pit. We had a great car and we almost got our second lap back. We got out in front of the leader one time but that's when we had a 300-lap run and they ended up catching back up with us. We just weren't as good in the long run at that point in the race. We had a really good car, nobody gave up and we still came out with a top-20. It's a good race.”
Race2Win
- The good run moved Brian up two spots to 38th in driver and owners points. He is now 180 points away from 35th place #70 car.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 22nd (started 2nd)
- After another best qualifying attempt of the year (also started 2nd at Darlington), Junior was probably expecting a better finish than 22nd. It didn’t seem like anything bad would happen when the car dropped no lower than 4th. But the #8 team was later plagued by right rear tires wearing to the cords and had to pit under green flag conditions twice, losing four laps in the process. As the race dragged on, he gained two laps and was just inside the top-20 when either an electrical or fuel pressure problem caused him to lose power.
-Quotes:
“We had a great car. It's that simple. My guys built a bad-fast racecar. We started up front and as each run went along, we seemed to slow down a lot less than the rest of the field. But, with the heavy rains the last couple of days, it washed all of the rubber off the concrete, and that meant the high-line I was running was really, really abrasive. It just abused the right rear tires and we ended up with two that shredded down to the cords. We didn't puncture them or run over anything: we just flat wore 'em slam-out. That's a shame and it's frustrating to have a day that started so well turn out so frustrating.”
(On Martin winning): “Hell yeah! That's a great deal for Martin and the whole team. Actually, it's a great day for everyone at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Martin's a helluva driver and a good guy. With his talent and the way he and Bono have been working together, it was only a matter of when they were going to get their first win. He told me after practice Saturday they had a great car, so I think they knew they were going to be one of the cars to beat. They have been having a season a lot like ours: fast every week but just falling victim to bad luck. I'm really happy for him and his family and the Bass Pro team, and I'm sure it's even more special for him to win in front of a lot of friends and family. You can't underestimate what that means.”
Budweiser Report
- Junior falls to 15th in points.
Michael Waltrip: 28th (started 23rd)
- As feared, Michael’s first race since Daytona wasn’t a pleasant one, but the #55 team never gave up under the direction of crew chief Bobby Kennedy. They were extremely tight the entire race and skating the right front tire. Finally, on Lap 338, Michael had a flat right rear and hit the wall, sliding down the high banks of Dover and miraculously not hitting anyone (though Sterling Marlin came awfully close!). Despite that issue, the team did not lose another lap and finished 5 laps down. Michael was also nice to listen to on the radio and did not have the same sour attitude like he did last year. If he keeps that up, it will be good for the team.
- Quotes:
“We didn't have a very good run, but the pit crew got to practice and we got to learn. I had a flat tire and messed up my car really bad at the end, but I was still able to hold off the guy I was racing for position. That's a baby step. At least I'm not minus points in the driver's standings now - I've got that going for me.
“I hate that we got ourselves in this position where we don't really know which end is up. The way DJ ran today - and we were competitive at times - we now know this set-up here doesn't work. So, we can mark that one off the list. We can go back to work and figure out how to get our cars to turn.”
Race2Win
- Just being in the race dragged Michael out of the negative driver points – he now has 52!
Kurt Busch: 42nd (started 12th)
- What looked as if it would be a decent day for Kurt went sharply downhill after a frustrating battle with Tony Stewart. Stewart seemed to have a major issue with letting Kurt (who had a faster car) by and held up a large pack of cars as a result. Finally, Kurt was tagged from behind by Greg Biffle and took that contact as a hint to get on with the pass. He got side-by-side with Stewart and slid up in front of him… except he wasn’t totally clear. He turned himself across the #20’s nose, while also putting Stewart into the wall and a nasty-looking wreck ensued. Now, supposedly Kurt was cleared by his spotter, but since I wasn’t listening to their radio I cannot verify this. A big topic in NASCAR is “give and take”. This was a prime example of both drivers not giving an inch and taking everything. Stewart is a great one for racing others’ like dirt, but whining when he gets the same back (usually adding some name-calling and career-dissing in the mix). There was over 100 laps to go – if Stewart was indeed holding Kurt up, he should have moved over. But… that is too much to ask of him, I guess!
- Then a crappy situation got worse. A lot worse. Tempers went over the boiling point and unfortunately Kurt was still able to drive his car. So, when Stewart went to his pit box, Kurt drove up beside it and slid into it. Okay, yeah, whatever, right? Except there was a crew member checking the right front of Stewart’s car and he jumped away just in time. Not good and I am not happy about this at all. Kurt should have known better. NASCAR wasn’t too pleased either. They parked his car permanently for the remainder of the race and called him into the Oval Office for some discussion. Kurt later apologized for the pit road incident, but I’m not sure how much that is going to help him. Later penalties are possible. I am afraid of suspension, especially because Pocono is next week. But… I’d support it.
(Angry) Quotes:
“I raced the guy (Tony Stewart) all day long and for some reason he just didn’t give an inch. We raced about 15 laps there side by side and I had about 90 percent of my car past him and he wrecked me flat out. I was maybe not clear by a few inches, but he bumped me on another restart, he hit me on another restart. I have no idea what Tony Stewart had for us today. He finally wrecked me. He got accomplished what he wanted to do. I’m still very confused by it.
“We were racing real well, 10-15 laps side by side. My car was just inching on him. He hit me on a couple of other restarts. I really don’t know what he was all about today. He didn’t give an inch. I saw a ton of cars stack up in the mirror behind us, which meant we were racing way too hard. He didn’t want to give an inch. He hit me on the restarts twice. I think he got his mission accomplished. I have no idea (if this stemmed from something else), but I know that he hit us so many times today mission accomplished for Tony.
“I wanted to make a point, but when you make a point like that it always ends up making it worse. It was my fault for doing that. The issue was out on the racetrack. It was not on pit road.”
Race2Win
- Kurt is now 11th in points, but who knows how far that may drop.
Dale Jarrett: 43rd (started 22nd)
- For the second week in row, DJ finished last. In the beginning of the race things looked bad for the #88 team, but he slowly moved forward into the low 20s and it appeared he was going to have a great day. Then something put a hole in the radiator and he lost water pressure. No water means a really cooked engine.
- Quotes:
“I guess something flew up and knocked a hole in the radiator. We had a pretty decent race car and we were able to be competitive. And, I noticed it started losing some power. Then, we made our pit stop and went back out after that and it never ran the same. It ran the battery down. It got really hot. It got hot and I did notice it on the temperature gauge -- I knew the temp. had gone up -- but it wasn't excessive. But, because there was no water in it there wasn't anything in there to get hot. It showed me the thing was cooking. A little bad luck for us today. The guys did a good job of adjusting the car. We got a lot more competitive. We were pretty good until the motor started to go because of that.”
Race2Win
- DJ remains 39th in points and 41st in owners points.
Before anything, I’d like to send my condolences to the France family and all those who knew Bill France Jr. He passed peacefully away today at his home during the race at the age of 74. I was shocked to hear this news and saddened despite the fact that I am not familiar with him (only been a fan since 2003). He helped build NASCAR into the huge success it is today and the sport has lost another great person this year.
Martin Truex Jr.: 1st (started 26th)
- For the second week in a row, one of our drivers got his first win! Martin dominated his hometown race by leading 216 laps. His car was excellent thanks to crew chief Kevin “Bono” Manion and the whole Bass Pro Shops team. I was pretty nervous during the last stint knowing that the #1 Chevy wasn’t as good on restarts as Martin’s biggest competitor, Ryan Newman, but the other drivers on the track were kind and did not bring out any cautions at the end (and, to all those conspiracy theorists out there, that includes a flat right rear for Jimmie Johnson).
- It was wonderful to see the celebration in Victory Lane with his long-time girlfriend Sherry, his father and a visit from Dale Jr. I couldn’t help but be a little sad because of the bittersweet nature, though. How do you have a victory party when you know someone beloved by NASCAR has died just hours before? How should you act? Do winning festivities seem rude or disrespectful? It is just a difficult situation. I am so immensely proud and excited for Martin’s first Cup win, but man… when they zoomed in on the American flag flying at half-mast over Victory Lane, I felt myself choking up.
- Quotes:
“Man. I just don't know what to say. I've got to thank all these guys and everyone at DEI for all their hard work in times of change and times when people don't really know what's going on and they need some leadership and some direction, I'm just real happy to be the one here in victory lane. It couldn't come at a better race track for us and for Bass Pro Shops and Chevrolet and everybody involved. This is just unbelievable, man. What an unbelievable race car we had today.
“He (Dale Jr.) said (in Victory Lane), 'I told you, you could do it, man.' It means a lot. He's been a great friend. He said, 'I'll see you at the house tonight.' So we're going to have some fun.”
Race2Win
- This win moves Martin up to 13th in points. Congratulations, Martin and the Bass Pro Shops team! Perfect race!
Casey Mears: 13th (started 41)
- It was a horrible qualifying run, but some pit strategy (two tires during a stop) launched the #25 National Guard Chevy into the top-20. He remained there for most of the race. Because of long green flag runs and green flag pit stops, Casey went a lap down for some time. He got the free pass near the end of the race and gained a spot when teammate Jimmie Johnson pitted for a flat tire. Another solid run for this team. He is now 27th in points.
Brian Vickers: 19th (started 24th)
- From the drop of the green flag, Brian began passing cars and moved into the top-20. Like Casey, some pit strategy launched him into the top-10, where he ran comfortably until a tire-wear problem forced him to pit under the green flag and lose two laps. At one point, Brian got in front of leader Ryan Newman during a restart and was able to stay ahead of the leaders for a long time. Unfortunately, he never got a chance to make up that lap as a caution refused to fall and Martin repassed him. However, perseverance paid off and as cars dropped out of the race, the #83 Red Bull Toyota picked up positions.
-Quotes:
“We had a really good car and the tires weren't lasting today. It wasn't a really good tire and everybody was cutting tires, cording tires and blowing tires. We ended up cording the right rear and had to come in and pit. We had a great car and we almost got our second lap back. We got out in front of the leader one time but that's when we had a 300-lap run and they ended up catching back up with us. We just weren't as good in the long run at that point in the race. We had a really good car, nobody gave up and we still came out with a top-20. It's a good race.”
Race2Win
- The good run moved Brian up two spots to 38th in driver and owners points. He is now 180 points away from 35th place #70 car.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: 22nd (started 2nd)
- After another best qualifying attempt of the year (also started 2nd at Darlington), Junior was probably expecting a better finish than 22nd. It didn’t seem like anything bad would happen when the car dropped no lower than 4th. But the #8 team was later plagued by right rear tires wearing to the cords and had to pit under green flag conditions twice, losing four laps in the process. As the race dragged on, he gained two laps and was just inside the top-20 when either an electrical or fuel pressure problem caused him to lose power.
-Quotes:
“We had a great car. It's that simple. My guys built a bad-fast racecar. We started up front and as each run went along, we seemed to slow down a lot less than the rest of the field. But, with the heavy rains the last couple of days, it washed all of the rubber off the concrete, and that meant the high-line I was running was really, really abrasive. It just abused the right rear tires and we ended up with two that shredded down to the cords. We didn't puncture them or run over anything: we just flat wore 'em slam-out. That's a shame and it's frustrating to have a day that started so well turn out so frustrating.”
(On Martin winning): “Hell yeah! That's a great deal for Martin and the whole team. Actually, it's a great day for everyone at Dale Earnhardt Inc. Martin's a helluva driver and a good guy. With his talent and the way he and Bono have been working together, it was only a matter of when they were going to get their first win. He told me after practice Saturday they had a great car, so I think they knew they were going to be one of the cars to beat. They have been having a season a lot like ours: fast every week but just falling victim to bad luck. I'm really happy for him and his family and the Bass Pro team, and I'm sure it's even more special for him to win in front of a lot of friends and family. You can't underestimate what that means.”
Budweiser Report
- Junior falls to 15th in points.
Michael Waltrip: 28th (started 23rd)
- As feared, Michael’s first race since Daytona wasn’t a pleasant one, but the #55 team never gave up under the direction of crew chief Bobby Kennedy. They were extremely tight the entire race and skating the right front tire. Finally, on Lap 338, Michael had a flat right rear and hit the wall, sliding down the high banks of Dover and miraculously not hitting anyone (though Sterling Marlin came awfully close!). Despite that issue, the team did not lose another lap and finished 5 laps down. Michael was also nice to listen to on the radio and did not have the same sour attitude like he did last year. If he keeps that up, it will be good for the team.
- Quotes:
“We didn't have a very good run, but the pit crew got to practice and we got to learn. I had a flat tire and messed up my car really bad at the end, but I was still able to hold off the guy I was racing for position. That's a baby step. At least I'm not minus points in the driver's standings now - I've got that going for me.
“I hate that we got ourselves in this position where we don't really know which end is up. The way DJ ran today - and we were competitive at times - we now know this set-up here doesn't work. So, we can mark that one off the list. We can go back to work and figure out how to get our cars to turn.”
Race2Win
- Just being in the race dragged Michael out of the negative driver points – he now has 52!
Kurt Busch: 42nd (started 12th)
- What looked as if it would be a decent day for Kurt went sharply downhill after a frustrating battle with Tony Stewart. Stewart seemed to have a major issue with letting Kurt (who had a faster car) by and held up a large pack of cars as a result. Finally, Kurt was tagged from behind by Greg Biffle and took that contact as a hint to get on with the pass. He got side-by-side with Stewart and slid up in front of him… except he wasn’t totally clear. He turned himself across the #20’s nose, while also putting Stewart into the wall and a nasty-looking wreck ensued. Now, supposedly Kurt was cleared by his spotter, but since I wasn’t listening to their radio I cannot verify this. A big topic in NASCAR is “give and take”. This was a prime example of both drivers not giving an inch and taking everything. Stewart is a great one for racing others’ like dirt, but whining when he gets the same back (usually adding some name-calling and career-dissing in the mix). There was over 100 laps to go – if Stewart was indeed holding Kurt up, he should have moved over. But… that is too much to ask of him, I guess!
- Then a crappy situation got worse. A lot worse. Tempers went over the boiling point and unfortunately Kurt was still able to drive his car. So, when Stewart went to his pit box, Kurt drove up beside it and slid into it. Okay, yeah, whatever, right? Except there was a crew member checking the right front of Stewart’s car and he jumped away just in time. Not good and I am not happy about this at all. Kurt should have known better. NASCAR wasn’t too pleased either. They parked his car permanently for the remainder of the race and called him into the Oval Office for some discussion. Kurt later apologized for the pit road incident, but I’m not sure how much that is going to help him. Later penalties are possible. I am afraid of suspension, especially because Pocono is next week. But… I’d support it.
(Angry) Quotes:
“I raced the guy (Tony Stewart) all day long and for some reason he just didn’t give an inch. We raced about 15 laps there side by side and I had about 90 percent of my car past him and he wrecked me flat out. I was maybe not clear by a few inches, but he bumped me on another restart, he hit me on another restart. I have no idea what Tony Stewart had for us today. He finally wrecked me. He got accomplished what he wanted to do. I’m still very confused by it.
“We were racing real well, 10-15 laps side by side. My car was just inching on him. He hit me on a couple of other restarts. I really don’t know what he was all about today. He didn’t give an inch. I saw a ton of cars stack up in the mirror behind us, which meant we were racing way too hard. He didn’t want to give an inch. He hit me on the restarts twice. I think he got his mission accomplished. I have no idea (if this stemmed from something else), but I know that he hit us so many times today mission accomplished for Tony.
“I wanted to make a point, but when you make a point like that it always ends up making it worse. It was my fault for doing that. The issue was out on the racetrack. It was not on pit road.”
Race2Win
- Kurt is now 11th in points, but who knows how far that may drop.
Dale Jarrett: 43rd (started 22nd)
- For the second week in row, DJ finished last. In the beginning of the race things looked bad for the #88 team, but he slowly moved forward into the low 20s and it appeared he was going to have a great day. Then something put a hole in the radiator and he lost water pressure. No water means a really cooked engine.
- Quotes:
“I guess something flew up and knocked a hole in the radiator. We had a pretty decent race car and we were able to be competitive. And, I noticed it started losing some power. Then, we made our pit stop and went back out after that and it never ran the same. It ran the battery down. It got really hot. It got hot and I did notice it on the temperature gauge -- I knew the temp. had gone up -- but it wasn't excessive. But, because there was no water in it there wasn't anything in there to get hot. It showed me the thing was cooking. A little bad luck for us today. The guys did a good job of adjusting the car. We got a lot more competitive. We were pretty good until the motor started to go because of that.”
Race2Win
- DJ remains 39th in points and 41st in owners points.