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)
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)
