Texas Motor Speedway - Samsung 500
Jess
RESULTS
1. Carl Edwards
12. Dale Jr. (1 LD)
16. Brian (1 LD)
22. Casey (2 LD)
23. Kurt (2 LD)
31. Michael (6 LD)
36. Martin (OUT)
41. David (OUT)
Michael always says that there's no such thing as a boring race and he's probably right. When you're at a track sitting in the grandstands you can look at whoever you want, but when it's on TV and the cameras and commentators are focusing on a select group of drivers it can get pretty tiring to watch. This is what Texas was like to me. There's such a fine line between too many cautions (it can get ridiculous and nerve-wracking when drivers are wrecking every ten laps) and too few (the field gets extremely spread out and basically everyone is a lap down). Carl Edwards spanked everyone and that gets boring too, especially at a place that brags about its close finishes.
The first big thing that occurred was that David had to go to the rear because of an engine change. A bolt had come loose and disappeared into the motor - this also happened to Mike Skinner, so it must have been a Toyota engine shop issue. I wasn't too worried, as David was very good in practice.
When the green fell he began to move forward although he noted that the #44 was really, really loose. Despite this - and that his helmet blower was blowing hot air - he was making great lap times!
Polesitter Dale Jr. blasted away from the pack and led a good thirteen laps and would come back to lead quite a few more before fading a bit.
Unfortunately Michael brought out the first caution when he lost it in Turn 4. He did, however, do a great job at saving it, turning the wheel to the left and continuing to drive the car as it was spinning. Whoohoo! He kept it off the wall and was able to keep going.
Meanwhile Ryan and the #44 boys worked on tightening up the UPS Camry. On the track, David was having some issues with a couple old adversaries. Paul Menard constantly races David like he's evil or something - I don't know what his problem is!
He just about wrecked David for no reason, which caused him to lose his rhythm and fall back a few spots. Later David and Shawn discussed this and Shawn mentioned something about Michigan last year. David couldn't even remember what happened there and neither can I!
On the next green run another driver was like a thorn in David's side: who other than Sam Hornish.
Hornish was a lapped car while David was on the lead lap, but he raced him like he was going for the win. David was understandably annoyed and went to block him. Hornish responded by driving into the back of him in the middle of the corner! Are you freaking kidding me? Is he insane? You'd think after McD's wreck he'd have more sense than to try and do something that dangerous, but then again this is Hornish I'm talking about here. 
Thank goodness he tried to wreck someone who has a million times more talent than he does because David was skilled enough to avoid crashing.
In the meantime Martin was running quite well while Brian, Kurt and Casey we about mid-pack. A lot of drivers were complaining passionately about how bad their cars were - Kyle Busch would say later that it was worse than Atlanta. This made me laugh heartily because the tires were wearing great at Texas. I wonder what Tony Stewart had to say about that?
He owes an apology to Goodyear more than ever now. It's not the tires...! However I do think that these cars allow the drivers to get up on the wheel more. They aren't driving perfectly but now we're starting to see who the most adaptable drivers are. A driver who can go for it when his car is driving good is a good driver. A driver who can suck it up and still put 100% effort into making the best out of a bad car is a great driver. Some of them just need to get more comfortable with the car, learn its ins and outs and I think they'll be fine.
Speaking of this adaptable behavior, David was showing just that. They had tightened up the car but doing so made their laps times fall off. So David did a wonderful thing: he offered to adapt! He said that they should change it back to what it was before and he'd drive it that way - and not wreck it - since it was fast.
I was very much looking forward to this when he started to report the water temperature climbing. Minutes later the engine blew up...
I couldn't freaking believe it.
He was running well enough to be 32nd in owner points! Why does this crap have to happen to him? Why is he the MWR car that runs great only to have mechanical problems while Michael and McD ran horribly and made it to the end of the race? This team doesn't deserve this kind of fate.
My mood only worsened when I decided to listen to Michael. He was six laps down by then so I didn't expect happiness, but the communication was pretty terrible. He doesn't say anything about what the car is doing, only what he thinks will fix it! It's also notable that Ty Norris is now his spotter...I sort of wonder if Mark Green got tired of the abuse. Oh Michael...what are we going to do with you?
He's so much of a better driver than this!
And as if I couldn't have gotten more depressed, Martin's engine let go with nine laps left.
And Edwards won. Again.
#44 Quotes of the Race
(Under caution after the Menard and Hornish deals)
Ryan: "Hey Shawn, get with that spotter and make peace with all those guys and make sure that everybody knows, you know, that everything's okay, okay?"
Shawn: "10-4, I talked to him."
David (very offended): "I didn't do nothing wrong!!"
Ryan: "10-4, 10-4, it's okay, we just gotta put it behind us, we can't let it set us back - I'm trying to get them to put it behind us, we gotta put it behind us...but we can't be screwing with those cats..."
Ryan is such a great peacemaker!
POINT STANDINGS
1. Jeff Burton
4. Dale Jr. -87
15. Kurt -302
16. Martin -310
18. Brian -319
26. Casey -454 (27th in owner points +121 from 36th)
31. David -513 (38th in owner points -38 from 35th)
32. Michael -535 (32nd in owner points +40 points from 36th)
1. Carl Edwards
12. Dale Jr. (1 LD)
16. Brian (1 LD)
22. Casey (2 LD)
23. Kurt (2 LD)
31. Michael (6 LD)
36. Martin (OUT)
41. David (OUT)
Michael always says that there's no such thing as a boring race and he's probably right. When you're at a track sitting in the grandstands you can look at whoever you want, but when it's on TV and the cameras and commentators are focusing on a select group of drivers it can get pretty tiring to watch. This is what Texas was like to me. There's such a fine line between too many cautions (it can get ridiculous and nerve-wracking when drivers are wrecking every ten laps) and too few (the field gets extremely spread out and basically everyone is a lap down). Carl Edwards spanked everyone and that gets boring too, especially at a place that brags about its close finishes.
The first big thing that occurred was that David had to go to the rear because of an engine change. A bolt had come loose and disappeared into the motor - this also happened to Mike Skinner, so it must have been a Toyota engine shop issue. I wasn't too worried, as David was very good in practice.
When the green fell he began to move forward although he noted that the #44 was really, really loose. Despite this - and that his helmet blower was blowing hot air - he was making great lap times!
Polesitter Dale Jr. blasted away from the pack and led a good thirteen laps and would come back to lead quite a few more before fading a bit.
Unfortunately Michael brought out the first caution when he lost it in Turn 4. He did, however, do a great job at saving it, turning the wheel to the left and continuing to drive the car as it was spinning. Whoohoo! He kept it off the wall and was able to keep going.
Meanwhile Ryan and the #44 boys worked on tightening up the UPS Camry. On the track, David was having some issues with a couple old adversaries. Paul Menard constantly races David like he's evil or something - I don't know what his problem is!
He just about wrecked David for no reason, which caused him to lose his rhythm and fall back a few spots. Later David and Shawn discussed this and Shawn mentioned something about Michigan last year. David couldn't even remember what happened there and neither can I!On the next green run another driver was like a thorn in David's side: who other than Sam Hornish.
Hornish was a lapped car while David was on the lead lap, but he raced him like he was going for the win. David was understandably annoyed and went to block him. Hornish responded by driving into the back of him in the middle of the corner! Are you freaking kidding me? Is he insane? You'd think after McD's wreck he'd have more sense than to try and do something that dangerous, but then again this is Hornish I'm talking about here. Thank goodness he tried to wreck someone who has a million times more talent than he does because David was skilled enough to avoid crashing.In the meantime Martin was running quite well while Brian, Kurt and Casey we about mid-pack. A lot of drivers were complaining passionately about how bad their cars were - Kyle Busch would say later that it was worse than Atlanta. This made me laugh heartily because the tires were wearing great at Texas. I wonder what Tony Stewart had to say about that?
He owes an apology to Goodyear more than ever now. It's not the tires...! However I do think that these cars allow the drivers to get up on the wheel more. They aren't driving perfectly but now we're starting to see who the most adaptable drivers are. A driver who can go for it when his car is driving good is a good driver. A driver who can suck it up and still put 100% effort into making the best out of a bad car is a great driver. Some of them just need to get more comfortable with the car, learn its ins and outs and I think they'll be fine.Speaking of this adaptable behavior, David was showing just that. They had tightened up the car but doing so made their laps times fall off. So David did a wonderful thing: he offered to adapt! He said that they should change it back to what it was before and he'd drive it that way - and not wreck it - since it was fast.
I was very much looking forward to this when he started to report the water temperature climbing. Minutes later the engine blew up...
I couldn't freaking believe it.
He was running well enough to be 32nd in owner points! Why does this crap have to happen to him? Why is he the MWR car that runs great only to have mechanical problems while Michael and McD ran horribly and made it to the end of the race? This team doesn't deserve this kind of fate.My mood only worsened when I decided to listen to Michael. He was six laps down by then so I didn't expect happiness, but the communication was pretty terrible. He doesn't say anything about what the car is doing, only what he thinks will fix it! It's also notable that Ty Norris is now his spotter...I sort of wonder if Mark Green got tired of the abuse. Oh Michael...what are we going to do with you?
He's so much of a better driver than this!And as if I couldn't have gotten more depressed, Martin's engine let go with nine laps left.
And Edwards won. Again.#44 Quotes of the Race
(Under caution after the Menard and Hornish deals)
Ryan: "Hey Shawn, get with that spotter and make peace with all those guys and make sure that everybody knows, you know, that everything's okay, okay?"
Shawn: "10-4, I talked to him."
David (very offended): "I didn't do nothing wrong!!"
Ryan: "10-4, 10-4, it's okay, we just gotta put it behind us, we can't let it set us back - I'm trying to get them to put it behind us, we gotta put it behind us...but we can't be screwing with those cats..."
Ryan is such a great peacemaker! POINT STANDINGS
1. Jeff Burton
4. Dale Jr. -87
15. Kurt -302
16. Martin -310
18. Brian -319
26. Casey -454 (27th in owner points +121 from 36th)
31. David -513 (38th in owner points -38 from 35th)
32. Michael -535 (32nd in owner points +40 points from 36th)
