NNS Kansas Speedway - Kansas Lottery 300

Jess

RESULTS
1. Denny Hamlin
16. David (1LD)
27. Brandon (5LD)

Things were looking good for David early in the race - he was running in the top 10 and seemed to be doing fine. However, it all went downhill after a restart, when Brad Keselowski made the wrong move and tried to pass David to the right. David went up either to block him or avoid hitting the car in front of him (the restart was rather slow), but he ended up making hard contact with the #88's left front with the Dream Machine's right rear. Soon after the #99 began to lose positions at a notable rate and he would go a lap down. A caution during green flag pit stops put him a second lap down.

I sort of became distracted after this for various reasons so I'm not quite sure how David ended up getting one of his laps back, or if his struggles were due simply to handling or the damage to the car - Aaron's hasn't released a race report so far this week and they're usually pretty good about that. Anyway I'm glad he did get a lap back because it nearly got him a top 15.

The championship isn't looking too good right now but it certainly hasn't been for a lack of effort by David or the team. If they only could get some luck!

I have to admit I was disappointed with Brandon's 27th this weekend...I guess I shouldn't get my hopes up for an underfunded team but it seems like they've been improving as of late. They are finishing, though, and that's better than start-and-parking because it shows that they're there to try.

EDIT Oct. 2 - Aaron's did finally get their report up and unfortunately it doesn't say exactly how David got one of his laps back. I guess I should pay better attention next time!

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
6. David -601

Kansas Qualifying

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
11. Dale Jr.
29. Michael
40. David

Originally, Juan Pablo Montoya charged around the track for his first career pole, beating Jimmie Johnson by 0.026 seconds. Unfortunately for Montoya, his happiness was short-lived when NASCAR discovered that the pressures in the #42's rear shocks were over the 75lb limit in post-qualifying inspection. As a result, Montoya's time was disallowed and he'll start 42nd. What a horrible way to win your first pole! I feel pretty bad for Montoya.

Junior seemed pleased with his car during practice though I'm sure he would have liked a better starting spot for the race. On the other hand, Michael was extremely disappointed with his lap - they lost a lot from practice and he has no idea why. David really struggled, which is upsetting in light of his vast improvement in qualifying the past several weeks. All in all it wasn't a good Friday for MWR - for the first time since Homestead 2007, one of their cars went home when Michael McDowell was unable to beat two star cars.

It was just stated during second practice that the #44 team is putting a new engine in the car. In one way, it makes things more stressful, but I'm also glad they may have found something wrong now and not on Lap 2 of the race Sunday.

NNS RESULTS
1. Kevin Harvick
5. David
36. Brandon

Despite fighting with the car all day yesterday in practice, the #99 Dream Machine bounced back during qualifying even with a disadvantageous late draw! Apparently because they've not run as competitively as they'd like, Jerry Baxter tried out a completely different setup and it bombed. The team decided to just put one of their usual setups back in and it appear to have worked. Since the championship is unlikely within their reach now, they need to focus on winning!

A Couple MWR Thangs...

Jess

The one good thing about UPS leaving David is the feeling of joy we get when we read on Jayski that sponsors are looking to fill in the races Aaron's isn't sponsoring next season. And when it's rumored that Dow Chemical could be the other main sponsor...holy moly! This is Dow, only the second biggest chemical manufacturer on the planet!

Chew on that a little.

Yes, yes, it's a rumor for now, but from what it sounds like (based on XM and Sirius radio reports from some helpful Mikey Members) things are going very well sponsorship-wise for MWR. Additionally there's a tidbit floating around that Marcos Ambrose could bring Little Debbie with him for a fourth team - now that would be some nice Aussie spice! I saw a Little Debbie / Ambrose cardboard standup in the grocery store yesterday and almost had a wild fangirl moment thinking he may be a part of MWR, or at least associated with it (I have a theory that it may simply be a satellite team but we'll see). It sure would give me the excuse to buy some Little Debbie - and it's fortunate for me that I walk ten minutes to college every day!

It's a relief, honestly, that things are looking up for Michael's dream. There were times I could almost see the end, I think. Quite simply it was scary - it's been a long road but thanks to Michael, Ty (we can't forget Ty...that man is MWR's backbone), David and so many other people I can't even start to write them down...their perseverance is why they are where they are today.

Give yourselves a pat on the back, boys and girls.

NNS: Dover Int'l Speedway - Camping World RV Sales 200

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Scott
17. David
23. Brandon (5LD)

As the results show, it was an up-and-down race for our drivers. I love Dover - it's fast and wide but still has a short track feel. In the future I'd really like to attend a race there! But just like Bristol, when something happens, a driver has a very short time to react and he can get shuffled back very easily.

At the start, David moved quickly into the top-10 and despite a car that was tight all day, he remained there. By the end of the race, it looked as if he would snap his recent bad luck streak, in spite of getting into a bit of trouble with Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer on pit road. However, I knew by watching him race with the #38 of Jason Leffler in the closing laps that things might not go as planned and unfortunately David's situation went downhill in a hurry. He's had history with Leffler before so I was well aware they would not be racing each other nicely. A late caution brought a green-white-checkered finish and everyone knows how those can turn out! The situation got tense when Leffler dove in under David... and David sort of cut down on him. I can't say really anything different. Luckily, David managed not to crash and shot up the track, allowing the train of cars to pass him. Clearly pissed off, David tried to get back into somewhat of a rhythm only to get nudged again when Joey Logano got loose underneath him. The final result was another disappointing finish when it could have just as easily been a top-5. Such a shame considering XM Radio was sponsoring the car and it looked sharp out on the track.

On the other hand, Scott had much of an opposite story. He struggled in the beginning of the race and the #29 team used two-tire stops to get him track position, one of which resulted in him leading the field with a handful of laps remaining. Alas, four tires (and a screaming #18 machine) were too much to handle and Scott fell back a few spots before the checkers finally flew. It was still a good performance by the whole team. It's so sad thinking about how Scott only has a few more races with them!

I was also pretty proud of Brandon - a great race ending for an unsponsored team! Even though he was five laps down, he stayed in the game and resisted the start-and-park method used by so many other underfunded teams.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
6. David -546

Dover Int'l Speedway - Camping World RV 400

Jess

RESULTS
1. Greg Biffle
10. Michael
17. David (1LD)
24. Dale Jr. (3LD)

The first thing I must say is that Kate and Kacey Coppola did an amazing job at singing the National Anthem, probably one of the best renditions we've had all year. It was so refreshing to hear the song clean and beautiful without being "diva" and fancy (or just plain butchered). I've never heard of these girls before but I hope NASCAR asks them to sing again. Plus they are identical twins...and there's that twin-to-twin connection going on here.

When the green fell racing didn't last for long...and unfortunately Kurt was involved with the first caution. The first few laps at Dover are so difficult because everyone is bunched up two-by-two and no one has their rhythm yet. David Gilliland was underneath Kurt when he wiggled and made contact with the #2 Charger, sending him right into the wall. He sustained quite a bit of damage and his day was over before it had a chance to start.

In the meantime, both David and Michael were moving up while Dale Jr. was going back. It wasn't long at all before David was racing inside the top 10, which at this point is a thrill to us Beak fans but not much of a surprise anymore. Dale Jarrett up in the ESPN booth praised him and his team as usual but raved especially about David's skill behind the wheel. "I'm going to give some credit to the driver, too," he said. "I think that they're finally now - when you talk about that new car [3rd generation chassis] - that they're catching up to David Reutimann's talent with the race cars, and I think that's finally going to pay off for them."

I LOVE YOU DJ!!!

On Lap 144 all hell broke loose for Dale Jr. He had dropped significantly deep into the field with a very ill-handling #88 Chevy and when his right-rear tire exploded coming off Turn 4 I thought his race was done for. Somehow he wrestled - by talent or by chance - his Impala into some form of control and avoided both the inside and outside walls! His car would never recover and he spent most of the rest of the day way back in the field but eked out a decent finish by never giving up. As Michael said on This Week in NASCAR, that's a Chase-caliber team.

Everyone who crashed in the next forty laps seemed to want to be right in front of David, so he and Shawn were on their toes to avoid them. First Robby Gordon - not to be mean but he can be quite the terror on short tracks - wiped out Jamie McMurray. Next Sam Hornish was in a tight spot with David and a couple others and spun. Luckily David was able to dodge both but they were close calls!

Unfortunately the #44 team's awesome day ended abruptly during their last pit stop after Juan Pablo Montoya brought out the yellow with less than fifty to go. David was held a lap by NASCAR for having a tire over the pit box line. It most certainly was a heartbreaker and honestly I really freaking don't like this rule because the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Why can a driver speed or a tire get away from the crew (both of which are potentially dangerous or damaging to others) and only get a tail-end penalty, but being a little bit on the line (but only your front tires - a car can have its ass hanging out and it's fine!) deserves a one-lap penalty? I don't often question NASCAR's rules because they're a lot smarter than I am but this one just doesn't seem right. Earlier in the year at Bristol the same thing happened. Damn those small pit boxes.

The bright spot among all these dark clouds was that Michael was in the midst of kicking some tail (and especially Tony Stewart's tail - sorry, I got a lot of enjoyment from watching Stewart attempting to chase Michael down and failing miserably! ). David would restart the first car a lap down but the caution would never come of (I really do hate when it works like that) so he finished the race ahead of Michael but a lap behind...

I'm so very proud of what Michael and the #55 team accomplished this weekend - they also won several awards (Mobil 1 Command Performance Driver of the Race, Moog Chassis Parts Problem Solver of the Race and USG Improving the Finish) and that's wonderful! I hope they can use this momentum to end the year on a high note!

#44 Quotes of the Race

(Shawn is excited over how well David is running early in the race)

Shawn: "I don't know if you're having fun drivin' it but I'm having a ball watching it!"

David: "It's been a lot of fun, there."

(Robby Gordon crashes Jamie McMurray right in front of David)

David: "Boy that 7 car's somethin' ain't he!"

Shawn: "Yeah, that probably wasn't called for right there."

David: "Ya think?!"

Shawn (laughing): "Yeah!"

POINT STANDINGS
1. Carl Edwards
9. Dale Jr. -129
22. David (-85 from 20th)
29. Michael (+114 from 36th in owner points)

Dover Quals

Jess

CUP RESULTS
1. Jeff Gordon
10. Dale Jr.
14. David
40. Michael

*Sigh* I really wish the #55 team would work on their qualifying, especially on short tracks where it's so easy to be put a lap down. Michael is very lucky he ended up 40th and not 42nd or 43rd because he would have had to share a pit stall with someone else.

Anyway, isn't it wonderful we actually got qualifying in?!

NATIONWIDE RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
10. Scott
20. David
26. Brandon

Yikes! David's beautiful XM Camry was definitely not behaving as nicely as it looked! It was so bad you could hear the tires squealing. He held onto it very skillfully, though, to get the best starting spot he could.

It's so important for Scott to impress since he won't be at RCR next season (I'm still angry over that!). Any organization would be lucky to have him - he's such a nice guy and puts 100% effort into every race.

My heart goes out to Brandon's crew chief, Doug Taylor, whose house burnt down last night.

New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Sylvania 300

Danni

RESULTS
1. Greg Biffle
5. Dale Jr.
15. David
25. Michael

When the rains finally moved out - does the monsoon season follow NASCAR? - it was time for racing! The Chase was on and though the 12-driver championship format can lead to excitement, sometimes I tire of constantly hearing about the same guys over and over again when other drivers deserve recognition. On Sunday, ESPN finally did something right! David was heading into New Hampshire with two top-10s and as a result he was given a positive interview immediately into the broadcast! I also had to laugh because while David was talking in front of the team hauler, Mitch Lash, the #44 jackman who saluted us at Pocono in June, walked out of the doors and conveniently began drinking a Coke. I've seen him do this several times before - sponsorship opportunity? Come on, Coke... you know to want to.

There was some apprehension because the two cars starting on the front row - Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards - struggled in practice and everyone seems to like the idea of races beginning with smoke and twisted sheet metal. Edwards was able to overcome his problems, but Kyle was stuck with a car he could do nothing with. After several laps, it was easy to see why - the right side of his car was dragging the track and slamming down into every corner. I don't know how the heck he didn't crash it. Apparently, the sway bar bolt broke. Interesting.

David was having a better time and made his way forward, but unlike the past two weeks he wasn't fond of his car. It's also difficult to pass at the flat 1-miler and the lapped traffic really held him back. However, Ryan and the guys made some good adjustments and David was just able to miss a large crash that caused a red flag - Shawn was so excited he brought it up more than once. Near the end of the race I was almost sure he would get three top-10 finishes in a row, but cars on fresher tires were too much to fend off. I know the team was disappointed with 15th, but the media and David's competitors are taking notice! There is now even talk of the #44 team in victory lane - a long stretch from last year when the question was, "Will they even make the race?" Even if a win isn't in their near future, I expect them to continue to impress!

Dale Jr. had another one of his typical days - run good in the beginning, lead laps in the middle, fall off. But this time the #88 team rallied back at the end for a great result. I'm just starting to worry about Junior. When I found out that Rick Hendrick was on the pit box to give advice, I was admittedly embarrassed. It's disturbing to me that in spite of everything Dale Jr. has been through this year, he still has trouble communicating with Tony Jr. While some fans would view Mr. Hendrick's presence as an honor, I feel like he's there because Junior needs to be babysat! Junior is losing his cool more often when things don't go exactly his way. He was leading by a good chunk over Greg Biffle when green flag stops commenced, but afterward he characteristically struggled with the handling of the car and fell like a rock. Whether it was a bad set of tires or not, Junior's Goodyear-bashing meltdown was somewhat humiliating. I know he's frustrated - with only one fuel-mileage win this season, it's got to be a let-down. But even though he's running so much better than last year, he's acting the same way. I thought he'd be happier at HMS! Yet now he seems more depressed than ever. He hardly smiles anymore. His interviews are painful to watch. I don't know. I've followed Dale Jr. for five years now and I've never quite seen him like this. Was Tony Jr. a mistake? Everyone with half a brain knows he's an excellent crew chief, but Junior treats him like crap. Mr. Hendrick sitting up there like a referee proves that.

So I'm not sure what's going on. I'm hoping that eventually Junior will just relax and drive the car. The drama will not help them win a championship, that's for sure. I hope Mr. Hendrick will calm June down, but it's Junior who has to figure out how to adjust his communication with his cousin.

Michael's performance was greatly improved. Although he finished much worse than the first race here - 25th compared to 2nd - he ran more competitively. Pit strategy helped the #55 get into the top-20 after the first caution and Michael was able to pass more cars to drive into the top-15. But slow pit stops put him back near 30th and he went a lap down after battling leader Dale Jr. for many laps. That always makes me cringe because he both slowing Junior down and putting himself at risk of getting crashed. I know why he does it, though - it's just tense for me to watch. With enough cars down a lap, he was able to make up spots again but ran out of time. I guess you have to finish in the top-30 before you get top-20s and top-10s, so as long as the #55 team continues to make steps forward, I'll be satisfied.

I was really glad to see Biffle win! He's a good guy and often gets overlooked at Roush Racing (by Roush himself, too ). His emotion in Victory Lane surprised me! It was a good way to start the Chase.

#44 Quotes of the Race

Near the end of the race when things got tense under caution.

Shawn: "If you ever clear these lapped cars, David, you'll get that 29 and 24."

David: "If I'm close enough to the 11 again, I'm gonna get him too."

Ryan: "Let the 11 know we're not racing for points."

David: "He [Hamlin] just body-slammed us down in the corner, freakin' just drove into the back of me, so... you know... whatever. It's coming back around - he better not slow up."

Shawn: "He did that 'cause I think he feels like you cut him off off of [Turn] 2 over there."

David: "Yeeaah, well... he would be mistaken."

Ryan: "Please keep your composure!"

David: "Oh, I have composure. Just ask him about the twenty other times he ran over me, so we still got a long way to get even. So, he needs to think about that. I'm cool, though, I'm not really mad!"

Ryan: "Yeah, 10-4. You're doing fine, man."

POINT STANDINGS
1. Carl Edwards
4. Dale Jr. -50
----
13. Kasey Kahne
24. David -632 (-76 from 20th)
30. Michael -1080 (+79 from 36th in owner points)

NCTS New Hampshire Motor Speedway - Camping World RV Rental 200

Jess

RESULTS
1. Ron Hornaday
13. David

How awesome was it to see David back in a Tundra and with former CTS crew chief Jason Overstreet? Because qualifying was canceled David had to start rather deeply in the field, so we sat on our couch and prepared to watch him move quickly through the pack.

During the prerace David was interviewed by SPEED - he didn't seem too happy about how his truck was running but Ted Musgrave certainly was glad to see him! "Reeeuuuutiimaaaan!" he hollered off-camera! David looked highly amused and we got a big kick out of it as well.

Once the race began it wasn't long before David was passing other trucks and making a good showing for his #9 Germain Racing team. He broke the top 10 in no time, using the methodical tactic that's become his style. However, the closer one gets to the front the harder the trucks are to pass and David discovered this in a painful way on Lap 49 while battling Mike Skinner. Up in the booth, Michael made a comment that Skinner should probably move over because David had caught him and was obviously faster (the way he said this made me wonder exactly how long they'd been side-by-side). As if Michael had predicted the future, all of a sudden David's #9 got loose under Skinner and they both spun. Not good! Skinner got the worst of it and according to Ray Dunlap (which means take it with a grain of salt), Skinner made a threat to take David out. Of course this got my grizzly bear defenses lit up...maybe Skinner should have raced like a veteran and given a little before getting his panties in a bunch!

The #9 boys did a great job patching up that poor little green Tundra and sent David back out. It seemed like he hung around near the tail-end of the lead lap for a while and eventually the #5 did catch up to him. Luckily, whether it was David pressing the gas a little more or someone suggesting Skinner not be a bonehead, there was never any additional contract and David left him behind.

Things were calm - well, as calm as a truck race can be - until twenty laps from the finish. David Starr had already wrecked Donny Lia by diving hard under him, losing his footing and sending his victim into the wall. Well, he wasn't done by a long shot! In an eerily similar fashion, Starr shot under David and knocked him right into the wall, leaving the #9 with heavy damage. Michael made his feelings known in the booth and he was none too happy, which I appreciated because sometimes I feel he as an owner doesn't stick up for David enough.

Somehow the crew fixed David's truck again and he was able to get up on the wheel and bring it home 13th. Not the finish he should have earned with all his hard work.

So by this time I wanted to claw the skin off Skinner and knock the stars out of Starr, but luckily for me someone at least took care of Starr. I don't like fights - NASCAR officials and track security don't deserve to get hurt - but this one was warranted in my opinion. After wrecking David, Starr must have decided to go out and prove he was driving like a dumbass and give one last driver a taste of the fence. His mistake this time was to take out Todd Bodine, teammate of David, driver of Germain Racing who had already witnessed him take out their other truck! After the checkers, Bodine drove beside Starr and showed him how he felt before peeling off and parking on pit road. Apparently Starr thought he was a blameless angel, for he ended up sliding his truck right next to the #30. Crewmen swarmed, punches flew, people fell. The situation calmed down and then fired up again. Yikes!

And Starr professed his innocence, of course. "I can guarantee you that Todd cut down on me if you watch the in-car camera or watch the playback of it. We were racing hard, the outside was the momentum, but he did cut down on me."

Oh Mr. Starr, too bad your in-car showed clearly otherwise.

The penalties weren't what I'd expected, though #30 crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. was suspended, as well as two other crewmen. The rest consisted of lame fines and oh-so-scary probation.

New Hampshire Qualifying...and Driver List

Danni

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Dale Jr.
27. David
32. Michael

Rain. I hate the rain.

I love my college and the learning that comes with it. Schoolwork comes first, of course, and in the past few weeks Jess and I have discovered that writing race reports for seven of our drivers is simply too much. As you can see above, we're dropping to our main three heroes: Dale Jr., Michael and David. There is absolutely nothing against Brian, Martin, Kurt and Casey - we still love them and follow them actively. But when the reports become more of a chore than fun and are put off too long because it takes a lot of time to write them, it's time to shorten them down. Of course, if something exciting happens to one of our guys, we'll be sure to mention it, but in the weekly reports it will be only our top-3 guys.

TRUCK RESULTS
1. Johnny Benson
23. David

Yes, David is racing in the trucks again! Even better, he's reuniting with his former crew chief, Jason Overstreet on the #9 team. I know how much David loves the CTS races, so it'll be exciting to see what he can do. Qualifying was canceled due to shifts in the schedule as a result of the rain on Friday.

UPS to the #6 in After 2008

Jess

Well this makes me ill.

Maybe the article should be titled, "David Ragan to be sponsored by UPS in Roush Fenway Racing No. 6 After Two Straight Top 10s by Driver David Reutimann Who Has Been the Star of MWR Since Day One WHAT THE HELL??!!"



It's been pretty obvious since Dale Jarrett retired that UPS has been looking to leave MWR, so I'm really trying not to take this too personally. However, are they blind? No, I'm not joking, are they freaking blind? Or maybe just stupid? I'll just leave it at stupid, then, because anyone who doesn't see that David Reutimann is extremely talented (as in far above average talented) doesn't know what they're talking about. I'm not trying to sound mean or anything but it's like they wouldn't even give David a chance even though he's given them more than they've gotten in years. DJ told them that David was their man - gee, nice way to show respect to the driver you claim to adore, UPS.

Ragan seems like a decent guy and he did just barely miss the Chase. Apparently UPS was looking for a "rock star", whatever that means, but when I see Ragan I don't exactly see Dale Jr. or Tony Stewart or Carl Edwards. Ah, Edwards. I see...I wonder how many commercials will have Edwards in them? I guess if UPS can't afford to sponsor Edwards, Ragan is the next best thing and they can use him to get closer to Edwards. Not exactly the nicest thing to do but it works. And he's young, I suppose.

More than anything it makes me sick to see them go to Roush, after all the shit Roush spews about Toyota and MWR. But I don't think everything is so rosy at Roush (look at Jamie McMurray) so UPS might not get what they want there and will pay a ton of money to be sponsoring the smaller driver of Roush Racing. Sorry, Ragan is nice but he's not Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth.

Oh well, UPS will regret leaving David, I'm sure of that. The grass isn't always greener on the other side! MWR is going up, up, up while Roush - besides Edwards - is kind of sitting there not going anywhere. UPS's loss!

I'll be using Fed-Ex or DHL from now on. They have better service anyway.

If UPS doesn't serve David Reutimann, they don't serve me.

NNS: Richmond Int'l Raceway - Emerson Radio 250

Danni

RESULTS
1. Carl Edwards
2. Scott
34. David (16LD)

It was a night of ups and downs for our guys. I felt for the Nationwide drivers. Although Tropical Storm Hanna didn't produce rain Friday night and the cars would have been able to race, I understand why NASCAR canceled all track activities. But it must have been a strain to race Sunday night for them - especially the double-duty drivers who had just completed the Cup race.

I was in high spirits for David, who dominated hours before, but it just wasn't meant to be. He flew forward at the start of the race and drove to third. However, a car that was loose off the corners kept him from making much ground and he continuously fell back. On Lap 108, the car leaped out from under him and slapped the wall hard on the straight. Sparks flew everywhere as the car scraped against the track. The Aaron's guys did a good job repairing it, but being 16 laps down, there wasn't a lot David could do to get a good finish. Sadly, I think this ends their championship hopes. They can still win this year, though!

To further depress me, Josh Wise in another MWR car got into a tangle with Landon Cassill and wrecked as well. Ugh!

On the other hand, Scott ran great all night. I was hoping he could chase Carl down there at the end. Before the race, Scott said that he and crew chief Pat Smith wanted to win the remaining six races Scott will be in the car this season. It still burns me that he's losing the #29 ride after running better than Jeff Burton has! I have to wonder how the team feels about it.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
6. David -524

Richmond Int'l Raceway - Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Jess

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
4. Dale Jr.
9. David
10. Kurt
11. Casey
16. Martin
28. Michael
36. Brian (2LD)

It was weird seeing this race during the day! It certainly didn't disappoint, however, especially for all those David Reutimann fans out there! Unfortunately for the most part this report will be focused around David and not our other heroes, partly because David's race was so intense and also because college has been very busy lately and I don't have time to write about everyone in detail.

David started out pretty decent and passed a few cars up until the competition caution flew. Ryan was happy enough about the car to take a chance and send David out again with only two tires. This was a disaster, for David almost immediately began to lose positions and fall straight back through the field. He wasn't all too happy about it, either and it only got worse when he fell a lap down. Thankfully he got his caution and was the Lucky Dog! Phew!

With four tires back on the #44 David was much better and went back to work picking up spots. Only a lap later Michael spun out! It looked like a bunch of cars just got all bunched up and Michael was run into. Thankfully he did a lovely job keeping the NAPA Camry off the wall and was able to keep going.

The race went on and soon then Dale Jr. did a thing that was a victory for most of "Junior Nation", but for me it was rather cringe-worthy. He and Kyle Busch were racing hard and Junior dove underneath him so hard his tires locked up. This resulted in the #88 hitting the #18 and Kyle spun. I wasn't too happy with Junior because it looked like revenge but in reality it was funny - if you just switched the drivers you had the wreck at Richmond in the spring! It's almost eerie to see how much they resemble each other (though of course Kyle "should have been suspended" for what he did and Junior should be knighted or whatever ). Junior said he didn't do it on purpose (of course he'd say that, right?), but unlike Kyle did in the spring he didn't say he was sorry, it wasn't a wreck for the win and Kyle's crew didn't come over to attack Dale Jr. Hmm...just a few points to ponder.

It was this caution that brought out the turning point of the race for David and the #44 team. Ryan decided to keep David on the track - which put him right into the lead! On the restart every MWR car was inside the top 10 and while David took off like a shot and pulled away from second, Michael and McD remained solidly among the front-runners. A great feeling for every MWR fan!

David led 104 laps, yes that's 104 laps! They were probably some of the most nerve-wracking laps I've ever watched in my life. I'm so proud of him, Ryan, Shawn and every crewman and mechanic and person who touches these cars. What a show! Dale Jarrett was literally gushing about how happy he was for David and the team (and sort of blew off UPS too in favor of David ). Although David eventually did get passed by Tony Stewart he still made a great showing and got a top 10. Two 9th-places in a row...take that, doubters!

Michael had a great car but when the scroll went around at the end of the race I was shocked to see him in 28th because I knew he was better than that. He had a stroke of bad luck and a tire went down during the last couple laps. Uhg!

Brian also had rotten luck and suffered a questionable call by NASCAR when he cut a tire and smacked the wall. In NASCAR's eyes he intentionally brought the yellow out by stopping...but I couldn't see how he could have gotten onto pit road as well as getting there without doing much more damage to his car! He was penalized two laps and that was the end of his day.

Kurt and Casey had wonderful races and Martin had a respectable finish. Off to New Hampshire!

#44 Quotes of the Race

(After two-tire strategy backfired miserably, Ryan makes a joke once a caution comes out two runs later)

Ryan: "10-4, put a round and a half in the left rear...you wanna get two tires?"

David: "NO!!!!"

Ryan (sadly): "Yeah 10-4...get four..."

David: "Funny guy, funny guy!"

Ryan: "10-4, thanks for carrying me right there, I appreciate it."

David: "Your back feel better?"

Ryan: "10-4, it's taken all year."

--

(Caution is out again and David puts Shawn to work)

David: "Shawn, get with the 2's spotter and tell him I got loose and got into him, I wasn't trying to screw with him, I apologize. Make sure you tell him that, he's freaking out."

--

(Caution is out yet again and David puts Shawn to work again!)

David: "I gotta get by this freaking 70 car, who's driving that thing?!"

Ryan: "Sauter, he's on a lap all by his damn self, too, racing nobody."

David: "Shawn, just like, walk down to Sauter's spotter and just ask him real nice, okay, if he'd just please give me a little bit of help, that's all. But ask him nice. Be nice." (A little later) "Don't be your normal self."

Ryan then said something about flying out of the spotter stand but the radio crackled.

Shawn: "No, Ross(?), who spots for Josh (Wise?) is spotting for him, he told him to let him go but I think he's mad at you for bumping into him earlier."

David (irritated): "We can do that again, you know. I mean it ain't like he never done it to me!"

Shawn: "Yeah, Ross told him you're racing for a top 10 so he should let you go, he said he was getting ready to, but..."

David (cheerfully): "10-4! Tell him I'll appreciate it."

(Later)

Shawn: "What d'you talk about, being my normal self? I'm nice to these guys up here!"

David: "Yeah, I know how you get though."

Shawn: "Yeah I just go get Roman (Pemberton, Ryan's brother and McD's spotter) for that, he'll go down there and move 'em!"

POINT STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Dale Jr. -70
--CHASE--
13. Kasey Kahne
15. Brian -193
17. Martin -229
19. Kurt -425
25. David -620
30. Michael -1038 (+61 from 36th in owner points)

Richmond Qualfying

Jess

CUP RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Dale Jr.
15. Brian
18. Martin
20. Kurt
25. Casey
27. David
34. Michael

Rain! Hanna didn't give them a chance. All on-track activities are postponed until Sunday. Although it must be a pain for the fans and drivers, I commend NASCAR and Richmond International Raceway for putting safety first.

NATIONWIDE RESULTS
1. Joey Logano
4. Scott
6. David
29. Brandon

While watching both Cup and NNS practice I wanted to kiss Dale Jarrett. He takes every opportunity he gets to praise MWR and especially David. Gotta love DJ! I also found it interesting when Jerry Punch mentioned the latest rumor about UPS going to David Ragan - DJ didn't say a word and maybe I'm biased but I sensed some tension in the booth!

I guess UPS's decision won't be final until the papers are signed but at this point I'm assuming they're leaving David and I'm also guessing Dale isn't too happy about it.

Dale said good things about Michael as well when he made a great lap in practice. Warm fuzzy feelings ensued in my apartment.

California Speedway - Pepsi 500

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
9. David!
11. Dale Jr.
12. Brian
19. Martin
26. Casey (1LD)
33. Michael (1LD)
39. Kurt (2LD)

It was a rare night at California, with only one set of green flag pit stops. Of course, two of the yellows were due to caution lights falling on the track! I really couldn't believe it the first time, but when the second light dropped debris it seemed as if someone slacked off on the job.

In the beginning, Brian, Martin, David and Dale Jr. made waves running in the top-10. Since we missed Bristol and Michigan, it was so exciting to see David up front and taking no prisoners! David is the first driver we have watched closely since before his rookie year, so we feel extra proud because the progression he's made is phenomenal.

Unfortunately, one of the cautions was brought out by Kurt when he spun with a blown tire. He went a lap down and was never able to recover. The resulting finish is miserable to put it lightly.

Under that yellow, Michael stayed out to lead a lap, but then sped on pit road. I've never seen NASCAR revoke the five bonus points from a driver before for speeding and it makes me wonder how excessively fast Michael was going! Did he put anyone in danger? He would later stay out again to regain the points, but the team had a bad night in general.

Martin's downfall came at the worst possible time. During green flag stops, a wheel was left loose and he had to come back down. It cost him valuable positions and lost him a lap for quite a while. By the time he got the free pass, it was too late to do much of anything.

David continued to impress, getting up to fifth. His performance allowed for a gamble. Ryan Pemberton opted to give the #44 two tires, a move that put David at the front of the pack! It was nerve-wracking and thrilling at the same time, but with Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle right behind him on the restart with four tires, I figured it wouldn't last. He didn't lead a lap under green and fell back. The car wasn't as good for the last stint and the team was actually disappointed with 9th. I guess you know you're good when you think you could have finished better! The #44 group is on a good road and I expect them to surge forward just in time to disrupt the Chase drivers!

It was kind of a let-down to watch Dale Jr. end the night where he did. I find it astounding that he hasn't finished in the top-10 since he won at Michigan! The one victory was getting locked into the Chase, however. Brian also completed the race lower than he deserved as a result of a tire bouncing away from the team on pit road. Casey handled great during the evening, but once the sun went down the car would not stay consistent.

I enjoyed Jimmie Johnson winning the race. A lot of people blew off his fuel-mileage win earlier this season so it must have felt good for the #48 team to get one by domination.

#44 Quotes of the Race

Post-race speeches

Ryan: "Man, nice job this weekend, great job all weekend. Appreciate the hard work. We'll get it cleaned up here in a little bit - get that carburetor still running when you come off pit road - and we'll start running in the top-5 like we're supposed to be doing. Great job, guys. Thank you. Good job, Shawn!"

Shawn: "Good job David, way to stay up on the wheel! Great job, Ryan, you guys were awesome! That's how we should be."

Ryan: "Ten-four, that was fun. David, I hope you're having fun. You all right? You need a drink or anything like that?"

David: "Nah, I'm good bud! You guys did great job today, thank you. Good car, great effort. Doesn't seem like it's all that hard, does it?"

POINT STANDINGS
1. Kyle Busch
4. Dale Jr. -432
15. Brian -956
17. Martin -1057
19. Kurt -1267
24. Casey -1451
25. David -1476
30. Michael -1825 (34th on owner points, +37 from 36th)