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
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
