CUP: Texas Motor Speedway -Thoughts on the Dickies 500
Jess
RESULTS
Winner: Carl Edwards
10. David
20. Dale Jr. (-2 laps)
27. Michael (-3 laps)
Although David and the #44 UPS team ran inside the top 10 nearly the entire race, it was not an easy event for them. At the beginning of the afternoon David was flying and man was it breathtaking to see him grab the lead away from Clint Bowyer!
However, the car's handling was never where David wanted it to be and after restarts it took a while to come in, which made it difficult because he'd be passed and then have to re-pass while also battling lap traffic. Green-flag pit stops made it a challenge to make a charge after the leader even if he was running the fastest laps of the field for the majority of the race, but the pit crew was excellent every single stop and definitely made up some ground for him a few times! David was very frustrated with 10th, which at first sounds strange for a team that last season was missing races, but in fact it's very telling of how far they've come. They are a Chase-caliber team - they want top 5s and wins!
Dale Jr. had an up-and-down adventure that unfortunately ended with him coasting to pit lane after running out of fuel with a handful of laps to go.
He was running very well to start but then the crew left a wheel loose during green pit stops. Luckily a caution came out soon after and he was able to pit again to get that potentially dire problem resolved. From then on it was a struggle to stay on the lead lap and the #88 team's chances of getting a good finish was low, even after receiving the free pass. As the laps drew to a close they decided to gamble on fuel, which bit them when they ran out while in 2nd place. Honestly these guys don't have much to lose, but it sure would be nice if Dale Jr. could be on stage for the awards ceremony...
My hopes for a great race for Michael after last weekend didn't come to fruition. He seemed to struggle from the drop of the green to the waving of the checkers.
I guess it could have been worse but it was still a bummer. Thankfully Marcos Ambrose did a wonderful job, finishing 21st in only his second start with MWR! 
This was even after getting caught up in an accident! I feel some Frank Kerr magic going on with this team!! 
Other than fretting about the #44, I didn't find this race all that exciting, but neither was the Nationwide race. I'm not all that crazy about races that end based on fuel mileage, either - especially ones like this where the leader is going so slow it's laughable - but you take 'em how you can get 'em, I guess!
One rather shocking moment occurred when David Gilliland and Juan Pablo Montoya got into it on Lap 263. From the replays, it looked like Gilliland (a lapped car) slid up into Montoya (on the lead lap), which can make anyone a little angry. Montoya gave him a bump to show his displeasure, which is fine, no one got hurt. Well, on the backstretch, Gilliland all of a sudden made a dead turn left and hooked the #42 straight into the wall!
What was he thinking?! That was so dangerous it's not funny in the least - it's one thing to retaliate under caution, but during a green run? NASCAR initially held the #38 for five laps but then decided to park him for the rest of the race (good call) and call him to the hauler for a chat. The oddest part of this deal was his interview with ESPN, where he said it was simply a misjudgment and not revenge. Um...yeah, right. At the very least Gilliland should be docked a significant number of points and I would seriously consider a suspension, but it turns out NASCAR believed Gilliland's story since they're leaving it as is. 
I don't think I've ever been more shocked by a retaliation during my time watching NASCAR and it's ridiculous there was little consequence for such a violent act!
#44 Quotes of the Race
(Right before pit stops, Ryan tends to his driver)
Ryan: "You want an ice bag or a drink or anything?"
David: "Nah, I'm good."
Ryan: "Yeah, 10-4! You're great, you're great!"
Ryan always loves to encourage.
POINT STANDINGS
Leader: Jimmie Johnson
11. Dale Jr. -429
---
23. David (-129 from 20th)
29. Michael
Winner: Carl Edwards
10. David
20. Dale Jr. (-2 laps)
27. Michael (-3 laps)
Although David and the #44 UPS team ran inside the top 10 nearly the entire race, it was not an easy event for them. At the beginning of the afternoon David was flying and man was it breathtaking to see him grab the lead away from Clint Bowyer!
However, the car's handling was never where David wanted it to be and after restarts it took a while to come in, which made it difficult because he'd be passed and then have to re-pass while also battling lap traffic. Green-flag pit stops made it a challenge to make a charge after the leader even if he was running the fastest laps of the field for the majority of the race, but the pit crew was excellent every single stop and definitely made up some ground for him a few times! David was very frustrated with 10th, which at first sounds strange for a team that last season was missing races, but in fact it's very telling of how far they've come. They are a Chase-caliber team - they want top 5s and wins!Dale Jr. had an up-and-down adventure that unfortunately ended with him coasting to pit lane after running out of fuel with a handful of laps to go.
He was running very well to start but then the crew left a wheel loose during green pit stops. Luckily a caution came out soon after and he was able to pit again to get that potentially dire problem resolved. From then on it was a struggle to stay on the lead lap and the #88 team's chances of getting a good finish was low, even after receiving the free pass. As the laps drew to a close they decided to gamble on fuel, which bit them when they ran out while in 2nd place. Honestly these guys don't have much to lose, but it sure would be nice if Dale Jr. could be on stage for the awards ceremony...My hopes for a great race for Michael after last weekend didn't come to fruition. He seemed to struggle from the drop of the green to the waving of the checkers.
I guess it could have been worse but it was still a bummer. Thankfully Marcos Ambrose did a wonderful job, finishing 21st in only his second start with MWR! This was even after getting caught up in an accident! I feel some Frank Kerr magic going on with this team!! Other than fretting about the #44, I didn't find this race all that exciting, but neither was the Nationwide race. I'm not all that crazy about races that end based on fuel mileage, either - especially ones like this where the leader is going so slow it's laughable - but you take 'em how you can get 'em, I guess!
One rather shocking moment occurred when David Gilliland and Juan Pablo Montoya got into it on Lap 263. From the replays, it looked like Gilliland (a lapped car) slid up into Montoya (on the lead lap), which can make anyone a little angry. Montoya gave him a bump to show his displeasure, which is fine, no one got hurt. Well, on the backstretch, Gilliland all of a sudden made a dead turn left and hooked the #42 straight into the wall!
What was he thinking?! That was so dangerous it's not funny in the least - it's one thing to retaliate under caution, but during a green run? NASCAR initially held the #38 for five laps but then decided to park him for the rest of the race (good call) and call him to the hauler for a chat. The oddest part of this deal was his interview with ESPN, where he said it was simply a misjudgment and not revenge. Um...yeah, right. At the very least Gilliland should be docked a significant number of points and I would seriously consider a suspension, but it turns out NASCAR believed Gilliland's story since they're leaving it as is. I don't think I've ever been more shocked by a retaliation during my time watching NASCAR and it's ridiculous there was little consequence for such a violent act! #44 Quotes of the Race
(Right before pit stops, Ryan tends to his driver)
Ryan: "You want an ice bag or a drink or anything?"
David: "Nah, I'm good."
Ryan: "Yeah, 10-4! You're great, you're great!"
Ryan always loves to encourage.
POINT STANDINGS
Leader: Jimmie Johnson
11. Dale Jr. -429
---
23. David (-129 from 20th)
29. Michael
