NNS Memphis Motorsports Park - Kroger On Track For The Cure 250

Jess

RESULTS
1. Carl Edwards
2. David
22. Scott (4 LD)
28. Brandon (5 LD)

I'm so proud to be a David Reutimann fan.

He didn't win, but he was just about as close as you can get, and worked about as hard as anyone could to get there. Because Josh Wise qualified the Dream Machine, David had to start in the back - but in less than twenty laps (including some caution laps) he was in the top 10 and causing Marty Reid, Rusty Wallace and Randy Lajoie to squeak like little girls in the booth! It was clear that this car, which happened to be the car David won with at Memphis last year, was the class of the field.

There was a small setback when some cars behind David pitted and with fresher tires they were able to get by. This was fine, since the #99 was still well inside the top 10, but when the caution never came out many cars were forced to pit under green. Poor Scott Wimmer had all kinds of bad luck during his green flag pit stop when he was penalized for speeding...and then caught again when he served his penalty. At a smaller track like Memphis this will wreck your day in a hurry and Scott would hang on but never fully recover.

As long as pit stops cycled completely it would have been okay, but a caution did fly and now David - in 7th - was two laps down! He made Carl Edwards look absolutely silly during the restart when he blew by him like he was sitting still and pulled out to an impressive lead to manually get one of his laps back. The caution came out again and now he only needed another to get back on the lead lap. This also eventually happened, but then he was at the tail-end of the longest line, which in a field were most of the cars are laps down is a long way from the front. It was an agonizingly long wait, but finally there was a wreck and David would restart on the high line, only a short distance from Edwards. He pitted for fresh tires to ready the pretty Aaron's/St. Jude's Camry for a driver ready to get it all he had.

In no time he was chasing down 2nd-place Joey Logano! The lapped cars gave him some trouble but you can't hold a good man down and he was breathing down Logano's neck right before another yellow waved. And then all of a sudden he was 2nd! Logano had pitted, hoping new tires would give him an advantage. David was now in the perfect place and it must have been a disheartening feeling for Edwards when he looked in his rearview mirror.

The green flew with less than ten laps to go and I sat squeezing a pillow to death, praying. Edwards restarted like he had a fire lit under his butt and David couldn't quite get to him - and then there was a wreck. Green, white, checkers.

Green: David stayed right with Edwards. All over him.

White: David was still all over him.

Checkers: Edwards crossed first. David never hit him. And he could have.

David looked unhappy during his interview, as any good racer with the best car on the track will look when he finishes 2nd. He said maybe he should have hit Edwards and Edwards would have probably hit him. But the big difference is David doesn't race like that. He's a hard racer, but he's a clean racer. Judging by Edwards's interview on the frontstretch, that can still be intimidating. He was thankful that David didn't knock him out of the way and he was likely very aware that with most other drivers he wouldn't have been so lucky. But David isn't just another driver.

David may have been honored by driving a car that was the class of the field, but every NASCAR fan watching this race was honored by watching a driver that is also the class of the field, and any field he enters. Congratulations, David. As a fan, I couldn't be more proud.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
6. David -615

Martinsville - TUMS QuikPak 500

Jess

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
2. Dale Jr.
18. Michael (1 LD)
24. David (3 LD)

I just wrote this whole thing and it erased on me...I honestly don't feel like writing it all again (I mean, it's like the most frustrating thing ever when you write something out and then it's all gone) so I'm just going to summarize.

Dale Jr. had a great day, recovering from a speeding penalty on pit road during the first caution to be a contender for the win at the end! Michael had a good solid day and David was going to have a great day when he brushed the wall and then cut a tire after contact with Aric Almirola.

#44 Quotes of the Race

(Ryan praises the crew for their hard work even though the finish wasn't what they wanted...this is why Ryan is such a great crew chief!)

Ryan: "All right, nice job guys, nice job David. Good day for this weekend, that's Martinsville at its finest right there so, nice job guys."

David: "That one's on me, I apologize for that, guys."

Ryan: "It's okay man! We're doing all right! Running well, running... twelfth, you know what I mean, late in the race. It's okay! We'll just polish it up a little bit and we'll have some good finishes."

POINT STANDINGS
1. Jimmie Johnson
9. Dale Jr. -379
---
13. David Ragan
24. David -819 (-164 from 20th)
29. Michael -1187

Martinsville Qualifying

Jess

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
10. Dale Jr.
26. David
31. Michael

Rained out, again, for a record nine times this year. What. Fun. I would have liked for David and Michael to have gotten a chance, since track position is so important here.

Chalotte Motor Speedway - Bank of America 500

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jeff Burton
24. Michael (2LD)
32. David (13LD)
36. Dale Jr. (45LD)

From the results, it's obvious Saturday night did not shine too brightly upon our three heroes. At one point during the race, it appeared to hold much for the future, but problems forced themselves on all three drivers that were beyond their control.

Dale Jr. was having a fine night with his special orange AMP paint scheme glowing like fire under the lights. He ran easily in the top-10 until just after Lap 100, when all of a sudden a right front tire exploded and he hit the wall in Turn 3. Man! I don't know what the deal is with the blown tires on the #88, but it's getting to the point where I just wait for it to happen. The crew did a good job fixing the damage and Dale Jr. was able to at least finish the race. Unfortunately, I think this is the end of the championship hopes.

At the start of the race, David was awful. Just horrible. His stress over the radio was apparent and when the first caution came out he heaved a "Thank God!" By the time Ryan Pemberton worked out big adjustments on the #44, the car absolutely came alive. David had the fastest car on the track and drove from beyond 30th place into the top-10. It looked like another repeat of the spring race at Charlotte, where David scored is first top-10 finish. However, he radioed to the crew that he was having brake issues, but they decided the brakes were just cold. Sadly, it turned out to be the demise of his night. While green flag pit stops were occurring, David was far enough up in the field that he was able to stay out and lead a lap. When he dove onto pit lane, his brake pedal went to the floor and locked up, causing him to spin. He did an excellent job of not hitting anything, but after refiring the car it was clear the brake problem had to be amended before returning to the race. In the garage, the brakes suddenly came back and David was sent out again, where he continued to whip the field with fast times. It was immensely disappointing for everyone on the team - they could have won that race blindfolded! Still, they are proving themselves worthy of running (and passing) the big dogs if they would only get some luck!

The night for Michael began good. He drove through the field, but after the first pit stop the team chased the handling of the car for the remainder of the night. He had his own share of excitement when he went through the grass on the trioval while running three-wide with Ken Schrader and Mike Skinner (the latter two would wreck). Later in the race, several car drove over some oil exiting Turn 4. A big wreck ensued, involving Mikey. He made contact with other cars and afterward, it was simply conservation mode. With all the troubles, his finish turned out to be decent so it's just another block to add to the #55 team's foundation.

It was definitely a surprise to see Jeff Burton win by passing Jimmie Johnson, since Johnson seems to own the track! Burton is a silent threat and anyone who does not consider him as a potential winner is a fool.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Jimmie Johnson
10. Dale Jr. -354
---
13. David Ragan
24. David -786 (-203 from 20th)
29. Michael -1172

Charlotte Motor Speedway - Dollar General 300

Jess

RESULTS
1. Kyle Busch
3. Brian
21. Brandon (3LD)
24. David (6LD)

The start of the race had both David and Brian moving forward, for Brian was in a backup car when he took the green for the race and David was fighting to enter the top 10. While Brian had a wonderful night, leading laps and finishing well into the top 5, David would be faced with trouble not of his own doing.

On a restart, Kyle Busch led the field off slowly, which usually bunches things up farther down in the pack. An accordion effect commenced when Busch took off and cars began to run into each other and eventually some wrecked. David was lucky enough to keep the Dream Machine going straight, but it sustained damage on its nose that the #99 crew had to repair.

Sometimes getting into a tangle strangle enough causes your car to run better and it certainly seemed to do that for David. He set to picking through his competitors and then settled into 11th behind Steve Wallace, David Ragan and Jeff Green. Wallace was attempting to get by Green (who was laps down, very slow and had already gotten run over once that night), while Ragan was on Green's right, trying to complete the pass. Watching David following Wallace, I said, "Wrong line!" and then all hell broke loose. Green wiggled and just about stopped in front of Wallace, who hit him (what else could he do?). This resulted in a rather frightening crash involving Justin Allgaier - who thankfully was okay - and David got a piece of it that would end his chances of finishing where he deserved. Seriously, can he just get some luck?

Of course Green blamed everything on Wallace. Give me a break and watch the replay - that was not Steve's fault.

Brandon hung on for a pretty decent finish - I'm happy to see that the team is improving enough to where it can finish races and finish them well. However, I often think about the future of the #61...they don't have sponsorship and a while ago the owner was being sued by Kevin Lepage. So...Brandon's future is still up in the air as far as I know. His website, as beautiful as it is, hasn't been updated since it launched...

Great job Brian!! He runs so well in the #32 when nothing silly happens and I would love to see him in victory lane sometime! I just hope Kyle Busch doesn't race so much next year - I understand that he just loves to race, but it gets frustrating seeing the same guys finish second or third every week because no one can catch the #18.

POINT STANDINGS
1. Clint Bowyer
7. David -670

Charlotte Qualifyng

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
10. Dale Jr.
26. David
31. Michael

Rain canceled again! And they say climate change isn't real!

NNS RESULTS
1. Jamie McMurray
15. David
35. Brandon
42. Brian

Time trials were marred by crashes, which included Brian and MWR's Josh Wise, causing the latter to miss the race. However, David looks fast!

Some News From MWR and a Baby Born

Jess

It was announced on Monday that AJ Allmendinger will drive the #00 at Charlotte this weekend, making this this second race in a row Michael McDowell will not be in that car. Personally I love AJ's spunk, not to mention his talent! It's absolutely ridiculous that he wasn't part of Team Red Bull's future, but that is a decision no doubt they'll regret as time goes on. Anyway, I can't wait to see how AJ will do this weekend - so far there are forty-seven on the entry list so it will be a tough field to make. Go AJ go! He's tabbed to run the rest of the races in GEM's #10 (don't even get me started on Patrick Carpentier's release - kind of like AJ not being re-signed, this is freaking unbelievable!), so unfortunately Michael will have to keep looking for other drivers to pilot the #00 for the rest of the season.

That brings up McD again - what's going on? Like I've said before, even though I wouldn't call myself a fan of his, I don't want to see him yanked around. I hope Michael makes a choice on whether or not he'll be back soon.

In other news, Casey Mears and his girlfriend Trisha are now the proud parents of Samantha Mae Mears (Casey's grandmother's name is Mae)! I'm so thrilled for them - according to Casey's Mom, Carol, Sam has dark, wavy hair and I'll bet she's going to be such a cute little thing! Congratulations to Casey, Trish and their families!!

Talladega Superspeedway - AMP Energy 500

RESULTS
1. Regan Smith!!! *
19. Michael (3LD)
28. Dale Jr. (DNF - ACCIDENT)
37. David (DNF - ENGINE)
* Tony Stewart was the "official" winner

Talladega!!!! Love it or hate it (and as one can see from above it was not the greatest race for our guys, nor was the official winner who I think it should be!), it's always exciting.

Dale Jr. started from the back but that can't keep the #88 down at a restrictor plate track. Only twenty-six laps from the green flag and Junior was leading the field and making the grandstands roar! In the meantime our MWR heros were hanging out around the middle and back of the pack - for so early in the race the drivers were being quite aggressive, so I'm not sure if I would have wanted to be in the midst of all that!

The yellow waved for debris soon after and Kenny Wallace made a big mistake on pit road, apparently speeding to the extreme (Shawn remarked that he must have been going one hundred miles per hour!). NASCAR doesn't take kindly to excessive speed so they put Kenny a lap down.

There was another debris caution on Lap 45, but I wasn't complaining much. Since the disaster of an ARCA race on Friday I suspected that the blown tires may have been the result of debris on the track, so as long as NASCAR was erring on the side of caution I was fine. However, this didn't help David when on Lap 53 he had a right rear explode. He was incredibly lucky it didn't tear the heck out of the #44 and that he avoided the wall in a thrilling show of car control! Jeff Gordon, who had been racing beside him, wasn't so fortunate - he hit the wall when he reacted to David coming across.

The #44 crew leaped to work, patching up the UPS Camry as much as they could with the time they were given before the restart. Because Ryan wanted to make sure nothing was rubbing, he kept David in the pits for as long as possible, which lead to the pack taking the green with David some ways behind. Without a draft he could only go so fast, and when the caution flew before he was lapped I let out a sigh of relief - until I saw all the smoke and spinning cars!

Poor Brian Vickers had a tire blow out at the front of the line and one of the Big Ones quickly ensued. The giant wreck took out several cars, including Martin Truex Jr. Junior was leading and just barely missed the chaos, while Michael made an evasive move through the smoke down on the flat after pit road. David, of course, was nowhere near this, and for that I was thankful. The red flag came out and Michael got on his radio to chat a bit.

Once racing was back underway, the tire problems did not cease. Mike Wallace had a tire carcass go flying, and as I watched in dread it bouned right off Michael's hood and whiplashed over his roof! Michael commented on This Week in NASCAR that he thought in no way was that going to hit his car! The tire caused an astonishing amount of damage, but Michael lent a hand during repairs by taking a hammer and trying to pound his roof up - you go, Michael! The NAPA crew did an awesome job fixing the #55!

Another tire gave out on Lap 98, sending leader Denny Hamlin hard into the wall. He had trouble exiting the car and looked like he was in a lot of pain, and he was taken to the hospital overnight. He's okay now, thankfully, and whenever I see a crash like that I thank everyone out there who strives to make this sport safer.

Less than twenty laps later, our David was in the garage. The engine had lost a cylinder shortly before breaking entirely...what a heartbreak. Ryan sounded so bummed. After all they went through with the tire.

On the bright side, Michael took the lead on Lap 163! I'll tell you, he is one amazing drafter - I don't know how he does it! One minute he's out of camera shot and then the next he's battling for the top spot! It was only two laps before the caution flew and he pitted, but they were a sweet couple of circuits.

But it would come to an end on Lap 174, when Carl Edwards's bumpdraft of Greg Biffle in the corner would spark the second Big One of the day. This would affect both Dale Jr. and Michael - the former with a DNF and the latter with a three-lap-down struggle to just finish. I was listening to Michael's radio at this point and was surprised at how cheerful he was, despite the fact that he just barely got into the wreck. I suppose he was happy just to have an opportunity to finish!

Well, I suppose it's time to finish this race and explain why I feel Regan Smith should have been the winner. Tony Stewart was blocking like hell for the last few laps, so I knew it would be difficult for anyone to pass him. When the caution came out for Jamie McMurray's blown tire it was set up to be a two-lap shootout, with three DEI cars lined up behind the #20. Smith was at the head of the trio and I was hoping he'd have enough experience to know when to make his move.

He waited a long time and then swung up on the trioval coming to the checkers. Stewart blocked and Smith shot back down, getting a nose under him. But Stewart kept coming and forced him onto the apron - and Smith crossed the line first. He won! I thought. He was forced down there! The crowd was roaring, Paul Menard was giving the #01 a congratulatory nudge, Smith's fists were pumping.

And then NASCAR declares Stewart the winner.

Okay, I was pissed. What was Smith supposed to do? Wreck Stewart? Come on! What about when Johnny Benson passed under the yellow - and by the way, he wasn't forced there - to gain a position at Talladega in 2007? NASCAR's reasoning: "When the drivers can see the checkered flag, you can get all you can get," as stated by Ramsey Poston, the managing director for communications. However, now NASCAR officials are saying that there is no passing under the line period (that's funny because I've seen plenty of that with no penalties), but they have no explanation as to why Johnny Benson was allowed to do it at Talladega. To make matters worse for Smith, he was not only robbed of his victory but put to the tail end of the lead lap. I guess NASCAR doesn't see Stewart pushing him down onto the apron as forcing him under the yellow.

Greg Biffle stood up for Smith on TWiN and Michael sided with NASCAR (despite saying Smith won on his radio). I admired how passionately Biffle defended him. The odd part was that both drivers still seem to believe one can pass if they can see the flagman.

It disgusts me because it looks so much like favoritism. Stewart hasn't won all year so why miss out on NASCAR's chance to give him a freebee? But I think NASCAR would be surprised to see how many fans are calling Regan Smith the winner. I am, too. Congratulations, Regan!

#44 Quotes of the Race

(The team chats before the race)

Ryan (to Shawn): "I know sometimes it's hard for you to see coming in the trioval when they're coming right at you right there, only when necessary I'll jump in there and help you out right there, okay?"

Shawn: "Oh we're in trouble, he thinks he's spotter now." Pause. "See that's what happens, them old drivers and old crew chiefs, they end up up here in the spotter's stand, so Ryan must be getting ready!"

David: "He wants part of your pay. I'd like to get part of it too, actually!"

Ryan: "Just in case you need to get a hot dog or something like that, I'll cover the frontstretch here."

Shawn (laughing): "10-4!"

(During the first red flag, Michael appears on David's radio)

Michael: "David Reutimann, Michael Waltrip, NAPA Camry, you got a copy?"

David (laughing): "Hey Emdub, go ahead."

(The conversation continues, I just like how Michael introduced himself! )

POINT STANDINGS
1. Jimmie Johnson
10. Dale Jr. -249
---
13. David Ragan
25. David -719 (-129 from 20th)
29. Michael -1129

Talladega Quals

Jess

RESULTS
1. Travis Kvapil
15. Dale Jr.
19. David
25. Michael

Since David had to go to a backup car after Friday's practice wreck (by the way, it was Hamlin who hit him...) I really didn't expect his qualifying lap to be very good - but I was wrong! Ryan Pemberton was interviewed during David's run and it was just about the cutest thing ever...he's such a good guy!

Another great thing that happened was that Kenny Wallace made the field in the #00. He was talking away during an interview when Wendy Venturini told him he made it - he was so happy! Kenny is a good drafter so hopefully he'll be strong today.

In other news Casey Mears has Brad Keselowski on standby in case he needs to fly back to North Carolina to be there for the birth of his daughter. He seems so excited about being a father and I can't wait to see what the baby is named and what she looks like! I'm so happy for Casey and Trish!

Mayhem at Talladega...and it's not even raceday!

Danni

There is a reason why Talladega and Daytona are impound races. NASCAR does not want to watch the drivers take each other out in practice, so they hold two sessions instead of three and schedule them before qualifying. Unfortunately, this method isn't foolproof and today misfortune struck hard.

In first practice, Dale Jr. was drafting as usual, hooking up with teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon. All of a sudden, he jumped out of line and fell back. I thought at first he was dropping to the tail end of the pack to later evaluate the car's passing ability. Then I saw the smoke. "He's blowing up!" I groaned. The commentators lifted my hopes a bit when they suggested a tire rub, but the longer Junior rode around the more apparent it was that he had an engine failure. Swapping an engine automatically relegates a team to the back of the starting grid. It wasn't too upsetting because if anyone can draft from the rear to the lead, it's Junior!

I was less than optimistic following "Happy" Hour, however. Junior, with a fresh motor, was practicing some bump-drafting and then lead a small pack of cars. All of a sudden, his right rear tire exploded, causing the #88 car to spin down the banking into the paths of other drivers. Aside from being unhappy, I was stunned at the fashion of this blowout. It was strikingly similar to the incident at Dover, but the entire decklid and rear panel flew off, leaving the wing hanging by some type of tether. The car was absolutely demolished. Not a good day when you lose both an engine and a car in one day! Luckily for June, he works for Hendrick Motorsports - a backup car is often just as good as the primary.

The tire failure not only affected Junior, though. David Gilliland, who was right behind Junior, was also heavily damaged along with Kasey Kahne. Tony Stewart got into it and took a ride through the grass (for the second week in a row) but the team elected not to go to a backup. And then there was David Reutimann! When I first noticed during a replay that he drove by with his right front fender bent up, I was shocked he even got involved - he was way behind the initial crash. Thankfully SPEED decided to give him an interview. David said that he was slowing down, indicating and everything, and he got run into from behind "five minutes later". The cameras then showed the rear end of the #44 with the bumper pushed in so far it must have bent the rear clip! The primary was not fixable. It's so disappointing because the car seemed really good and unlike HMS, MWR's backups may not be as good. David was clearly bothered by the situation, but I know Ryan Pemberton and the guys will do their best to give him a good car for Sunday.

Still, the front end damage was unexplained until Clint Bowyer was interviewed. I hadn't even realized he was caught up in the crash, but he said that he was fine until the #44 just ran into the back of him.

After getting over my annoyance at the nastiness in his voice, I was able to add up what happened. In some of the replays, the second pack of cars could be seen. When Junior's debris flew all over the place, David moved up the track to slow down. A dark car could be seen behind David's, coming fast. I'm guessing it was either Denny Hamlin or Brian Vickers. The dark car must have hit David while he was decelerating, causing him to turn down the track and somehow get into the back of Bowyer. I have a hunch it was Hamlin, since he seems to have a problem slowing down in the first place. While everyone else was checking up, he zipped around cars like a bat out of hell. But the replays mostly looked at Junior (obviously) so it was difficult to see what was happening beyond him.

Ugh.

So what caused this whole mess in the first place? Junior had only 13 laps (make up your own bad luck omen) on the tires, making it improbable that there was excessive wear, especially on a track as smooth as Dega. The tire must have been cut by some type of debris, and a large piece at that.

But uncertainties increased as the ARCA race unfolded. ARCA uses a completely different tire (Hoosier) than NASCAR, but just about every caution was due to tires blowing out, many of which were right rears. They would explode with very few laps on them. Were race officials failing to clean the track off? It seemed to get progressively worse as the race went on.

Man. Talladega is bad enough with the Big One. But now possible mystery tire issues?

Kansas Speedway - Camping World RV 400

Danni

RESULTS
1. Jimmie Johnson
13. Dale Jr.
19. David (1LD)
35. Michael (3LD)

It was a tough race for all three of our guys at Kansas. All weekend, analysts on the broadcasts acknowledged the difficulty of getting a balanced car on the flat 1.5 track. However, Kansas manages to produce good racing in spite of the field spreading out and the frequency of green pit stops.

I have to admit I was disappointed in Junior's run. From practice times and a prerace interview, I was under the impression that the car was going to be a good one. In reality, the #88 team fought it all day long - it was loose regardless of changes. At one point Junior drove into the top-10, but most of the day was spent just outside, as his finish shows. Being 190 points out of the championship is a daunting task when you're going up against Jimmie Johnson, but with Talladega coming up, you never know. On the positive side, Junior has been mentioning that he's trying to behave on the radio! Good to hear!

Like Junior, David battled an ill-handling car - it sounded like the beginning of the year again! I was pretty upset since he had run so well at California (though that race is held at night). It was so tight at first that he couldn't even get past 30th and by Lap 50 he was overcome by the leaders. Huge adjustments ordered by Ryan and a fast pit stop by the #44 crew put David as the first lapped car in line on a subsequent restart. The team got another stroke of luck as well - the leader was Casey Mears, who stayed out on old tires. This enabled David to pass Casey and get his lap back without the free pass when the next caution flew. From then on it was a fight into the top-20 despite going a lap down again. Although I'm used to better finishes (they make you spoiled, don't they?), I was proud of the diligence of the entire team.

Michael's day was a sadder story. He had a great car at the start of the race and powered into the top-20, where he remained for quite some time. Near the middle of the race, he began to contend with a worsening NAPA car and dropped to around 25th place. It was then that he got loose in front of David Ragan and was spun, collecting Sam Hornish in the melee. Under the following yellow, the crew tried to repair the car while not losing a lap. I wasn't comfortable with the shredded and jagged appearance of the left front fender and those fears were confirmed when twenty-six laps later the tire blew out. Michael managed not to crash exiting Turn 2, but unfortunately for him all the debris shot off the track and he was forced to pit under green. The team rallied on to avoid a DNF, however, so that's something to be respected.

How about that finish! I was cheering for Jimmie and when I saw Carl coming like lightning I thought it was all over. The #48 team is so lucky Jimmie is calm and collected because I think a lot of other drivers would have lost their nerve in that situation. Even though I wasn't pulling for Carl, I'll give him credit for his effort! I couldn't believe the banzai move he tried in Turn 3! I really thought it was going to work until the car shot up the track and he slammed the wall. He must have been so disappointed, but even more so when he found out that he lost the championship lead to Jimmie by ten points too!

#44 Quotes of the Race

An incident on pit road messed up one of David's pit stops.

David: "Who the heck run over me coming into the pit box, anyway?"

Shawn: "The 8."

David (grumbling): "Every freakin' time we turn around something's happening like that." Pause. "He run into us and man, that frickin'... I went long. (indignantly) I was trying to stop short."

Ryan: "Ten-four. I didn't see it. I saw your car wiggle, I didn't see why you wiggled."

Shawn: "They were pushing him. Everybody was pushing each other down pit road."

David: "Okay, [they were] pushing, but don't get a running start!"

POINT STANDINGS
1. Jimmie Johnson
8. Dale Jr. -190
---
13. David Ragan
22. David -601 (-65 from 20th)
29. Michael -1070

Big MWR Announcements!!

Jess

I got home from shopping today and since NASCAR.com is my homepage it was like bam! Bootie Barker's going to be Michael's crew chief in 2009, bam! MWR is aligning with JTG-Daugherty Racing in 2009!

I've been wondering for quite a while what Bootie was going to do next season, since it was never confirmed that he would stay with Haas as it transferred to Stewart-Haas. Quite honestly I'm a bit shocked Stewart wasn't able to lure Bootie to be Newman's crew chief, or at least stay with the company. Things that make you go, "Hmm."

Michael is notoriously difficult to get along with on the racetrack and it's his abuse of crew chiefs after Tony Eury Jr. that caused me to stop listening to his radio chatter. I'm hoping Bootie doesn't take any mouth from Michael when he gets frustrated and I also pray there isn't much mouth to take in the first place. I feel Michael needs a "big name" crew chief so he will respect and trust him (I believe it gives him confidence, as well).

My only worry is that Bootie was recently suspended this season for messing with the wing on the #66 car of Scott Riggs. We obviously don't need to go into an in-depth look back to Daytona in 2007 but I can imagine Michael may have mentioned something along the lines of, "Leave your cheating ways behind you," when Bootie was hired.

Anyway, I'm very excited for Bootie to come on board! This will allow Bobby Kennedy to go back to managing all three teams, which is what he was originally employed to do and what I think he's always wanted to resume. Yay!

The rumors about the MWR-JTG partnership turned out to be true. And I can't be happier! This sounds extremely promising and it's very interesting since the team will be run straight out of MWR's shop. Marcos Ambrose seems like such a cool guy and a big sponsor like Little Debbie is always welcome! So this development has definitely "unwrapped a smile" on my face! Oh don't groan, you know that was cute.

Personally I'm thrilled to have Frank Kerr back in MWR's shop. I never wanted to see him go last season - he's a great crew chief!

In other news, it was announced yesterday that Michael McDowell will be replaced this weekend at Talladega by Kenny Wallace - it wasn't specified if McD will be back this season. I have mixed feelings about this situation...on one hand I'm not entirely surprised at how much McD's struggled, since he really doesn't have all that much experience, so I understand why MWR is taking him out of his ride. On the other hand, he hasn't been getting the same equipment (gen 3 cars) as Michael and David until recently, so it's to be expected he'd have trouble. One moment it sounds like he will be re-signed for 2009 and then the next it sounds like he's a free agent. Although McD has said and done some things that I haven't liked, he's not a bad guy and I don't want to see him being yanked around. I hope MWR is able to give him a solid "yes" or "no" before too long so he's able to find a ride somewhere.

The big boys of MWR have said in several places that they need to find sponsorship for the third team and I'm assuming - since I don't think Champion Mortgage is quite a "real" sponsor - that means McDowell. If funding can be found that's great, but I can't help but think about Josh Wise. He's MWR's future and likely will take over the #55 when Michael retires, but he needs seat time in Nationwide before then. Aaron's is sponsoring the #99 for ten races (run by Michael and David), but to run the rest with Josh a sponsor needs to be found. Would taking a chance on a fourth Cup team be worth it when you have a Tony Stewart-praised driver waiting in the works? Time will tell.