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
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13. David Ragan
24. David -786 (-203 from 20th)
29. Michael -1172
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
