Gatorade Duels at Daytona

Jess

RESULTS
Duel 1
1. Dale Jr.
4. Casey
11. Brian
14. Martin
27. Kurt

Duel 2
9. DJ
12. David
13. Michael

As the morning of the Gatorade Duels dawned, some drivers were locked into the Daytona 500 - the top 35 from last year's owner points and the three star cars who qualified on Sunday. No doubt those star car drivers walked through the garage feeling relieved - the Duels were just a simple lineup race and the thing they had to worry about the most was keeping their cars safe. Even if they start last in the 500 it wouldn't really matter. The Duels were just a big, intense practice session that pay well and give the potential for bragging rights.

Michael and David were in a position they haven't been in at MWR yet: they were locked in. Michael was even guaranteed a spot on the front row if he survived the Duel! But their teammate wasn't. Last season Dale could breathe a sigh of relief because he had his Past Champion's Provisional as backup - and he used it - but this year it was only an option if Kurt raced his way in during Duel 1. If he didn't, DJ would have to run the race of his life.

On the other side of the spectrum was Brian. He had no backup, no ounce of being guaranteed unless Joe Nemechek or David finished first or second of the star cars in their Duels, and then he would be the next car in on single-car speeds. But who wants to risk something not going perfectly? He had to race his heart out.

Brian's race quickly turned sour! On Lap 4 he shot across the backstretch as a result of Boris Said getting overaggressive and sliding up the racetrack, hooking the 83 and sending him for a ride. Thankfully Brian kept control - if spinning out can be called control - and kept the car off the wall. With little to no damage, Brian was at a disadvantage at the rear of the field but on a mission again when the green flew.

A few laps later Dale Jarrett knew exactly what he had to do when he hit the track for his Duel: he had to race his way in. Kurt went backwards in a hurry and headed into the garage with electrical problems - he was out of the race and was forced to use his PCP.

Other than Elliott Sadler's tire problems the first Duel was relatively tame, producing no other accidents. The racing, however, was amazing! For all the complaints about this new car it drafts incredibly well.

Dale Jr. swept his second Cup event at Daytona by playing with the heads of everyone in the field and letting them duke it out behind him as he and Reed Sorenson pulled away from the 2-wide pack. This is Daytona and he's in a Hendrick car so success is to be expected, but it sure is exciting seeing his face in victory lane again!

Brian Vickers also came out of nowhere and had a thrilling battle with Kenny Wallace and Joe Nemechek for that special star car spot. He wasn't satisfied with putting his faith in someone else finishing where he needed them to to lock in; he went for it! The only other star car in front of him was Kenny Wallace, and Brian knew when the checkers flew that he would race in the Daytona 500!

As proud as I was of Brian, and as happy as I was for Kenny Wallace, my heart broke into pieces when SPEED interviewed a distraught-looking AJ Allmendinger, who missed the 500 by two spots. I've been fearing for AJ's job ever since Scott Speed became a staple in Team Red Bull's blog, so I feel that it's especially important that AJ make races and perform this year. He has the talent and the attitude - he really loves NASCAR and wants to make his team proud more than anything, and he tried as hard as he could to race his way in. I know he'll do well this season, but will it be enough? Chin up, AJ.

Duel 2 was the nail-biter! Not only did DJ have to go for it, but the amount of inexperience in this field was astonishing. Everyone was expecting a big wreck.

I got on PitCommand and tuned into David's radio, curious to hear if their communication was as good as it was last year with Frank Kerr. I wasn't let down - Ryan Pemberton is freaking awesome! He fits right in with the team.

It was very exciting to have an MWR front row and Michael came on David's radio to let him know that he wasn't going to have a fast start and that if David got ahead of him he'd likely let him lead into Turn 1. David very much took this to heart because when the green flag flew David flew as well: right ahead of Michael. He pretty much knew the second he did it that he was screwed and NASCAR black-flagged him for crossing the line before the leader. He wasn't as upset as I thought he'd be...I guess being locked in lessened the panic! Despite the mistake he made it sure did look cool!


(Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

Michael was a huge contender and really impressed me. He led a lot of laps several times and it was very obvious his car was good and he was enjoying how good it was. He came on David's radio to chat a few times as well, which made me happy because the more communication between teammates the better.

Meanwhile, as the NAPA Camry was having a grand old time up front, David was all by his lonesome about half a lap down. At first I was afraid he'd get lapped, but these new cars seem to do a fine job holding their own on RP tracks. When the expected open-wheeler wreck occurred only a handful over a dozen laps into the race, he wasn't even close to being caught by the pack.

Jacques Villeneuve hit some bumps in Turn 4 and lost it all by himself, collecting Jamie McMurray, Stanton Barrett and Dario Franchitti. It was very unfortunate and a sign that Villeneuve may not be ready for Cup. How can he be? He has very little experience, and didn't bring along the sponsor BDR thought he was, so there's not even enough funding. Juan Pablo Montoya was a very lucky find for Ganassi, but these team owners can't expect every open-wheeler to be a Montoya and show success without being familiar with stock cars. I pity Villeneuve in that respect. I feel that he's grasping for straws by coming to NASCAR since he hasn't had much success in F1 in ten years.

But anyway, David was now back in the action with a car that was actually a good car (wow!). DJ was right there with him after chilling for the first chunk of the race and both of them got to wait around a bit more after Dave Blaney oiled down the track, causing a red flag to wave. David was getting anxious to get to the front and so was I...I really didn't think they'd have enough time.

Michael came on David's radio again and told him he would be coming back to get them with about 20 to go, or maybe sooner. The latter would turn out to be what came to pass, for Jeff Gordon had a "girly restart" (Michael's words, not mine! ), so it made Michael mad and he dropped all the way to the back. He tucked in behind Dale and the three MWR Camrys became a power train to the front.

I swear, it was the most amazing bit of teamwork I've ever seen. It's easy for two cars to hook up and follow each other, but three of them? And that quickly? In ten laps they were right up in the front! Maybe it was the giddiness of this MWR fan who's been waiting a year to see something like this, or maybe it was the fact that those team paint schemes look so gnarly nose-to-tail, or maybe it was just that Michael and David were giving up their own finishes to help a teammate make his last Daytona 500...but watching them and thinking, They're going to do it they're going to do it! is something that I'll never forget.

With only a few laps to go the race was red-flagged again because of poor Patrick Carpentier's tire exploding. Patrick seems like such a good guy with a lot of spirit so it made me unhappy to know he would miss the 500.

Before the restart waved, drivers other than his teammates expressed their willingness to help DJ keep his position, which at the moment would be good enough to lock himself in. That was so cool! In a sport where sometimes it's cut-throat and every man for himself, it's a relief to hear that kind of thing.

Michael laid back for the restart, which appeared to mess things up a little for DJ, who all of a sudden lost his MWR insurance policy. David was also having a hard time seeing because of all the quickie-dry film covering his windshield (for some reason this quickie-dry was more like baby powder than sand and it stuck to the windshields like paste!), so it looked like he nearly ran into the back of the 55. John Andretti blasted by both of them in a staggering burst of speed, passing David for the second star car spot and almost getting by DJ as well.

But that didn't matter! Because for the second year in a row, MWR had all three cars in the Daytona 500! No PCP! No jet fuel! Just 100% pure nose to the dirt speed and teamwork!!

David used the term "awesome" to describe how his car drove. Wow. Have I ever heard him use such a positive word in the same sentence with "this car" during a Cup race? Maybe at Talladega last season before the engine failed!

Denny Hamlin won, giving Toyota its first Cup win of any sort, which was cool. But that points win is still up in the air, and I think MWR can do it. I don't expect miracles this season because perfection isn't guaranteed, but it looks so much better already.

Bring it 2008!!

Qualifying Joy!!!

Jess

Sunday was qualifying day...a day in the past two years that has made my stomach tie up in knots, not to mention the drivers that have to live through it. I enjoy Daytona qualifying because even if you don't lock in during single-car runs you still have a chance; you also don't crash too easily no matter how hard you mash the pedal down so that's another thing I like about it!

I knew that the MWR cars were fast, but it's almost harder to get my hopes up when they look promising in practice than when they don't. As the first cars were making their laps, I stood in front of the TV and said a silent prayer in my head for Michael and David. I'm not religious, very rarely pray and when I do it's never for myself, but I know that Michael and David have a strong faith so I figured I'd try to offer a little help along the way. Then I just hoped it would work.

When DJ went out I was bummed he seemed to be lacking some speed, but the car didn't look wiggly and with his PCP I have some confidence, though that confidence basically relies on Kurt. Then it was David's turn...I was nervous to see he didn't do the traditional first lap wind-up and yet he looked great on the tracker, and even better on the second lap! He posted great times and even though I knew in my heart that would be good enough I couldn't say it out loud yet.

Finally Michael was on the track and holy crap was that nerve-wracking! He was on the pole! I couldn't even fathom Michael on the pole for the Daytona 500! But then at the last moment he dropped to second...

But I didn't care! Because he and David were in the Daytona 500!!!

Danni and I screamed and jumped and scared the dog! It was more than I could have ever dreamed of! Realistically, anyway. Seeing the smiles on Michael and Paul Andrews' faces was the most amazing feeling. What a way to start out the week of the 500!

So looking back I'm kicking myself for not adding in DJ to that little prayer. But maybe I shouldn't push my luck. Kurt has me nervous because he's in the more competitive Duel with a car that he had to save several times in practice today, so I don't know how much I can count on Kurt not using his PCP. However, if Dale can survive the wrecks I'm fearing in the second Duel I know he'll be in.

The Aftermath of Kurt’s Drama

Jess

I guess Speedweeks started out a little rough for me with the whole Kurt deal because whenever he gets in trouble I'm always afraid he's going to get suspended. As of today there's been no word from NASCAR what penalties may be in store, so I'm trying not to worry about it. He participated in the Shootout - and being parked for that race was my imminent fear - and battled side-by-side with Tony and didn't have any issues, although he had enough issues on his own, unfortunately.

Tony did a good job of making me want to pull my hair out with his comments about Kurt Sunday. He had nothing but nice things to say about his talent and passion, but what really interested me was that he remarked that he didn't blame him for the retaliation and that he (being Tony) has done a lot worse, so he can't hold a grudge against him. This is what freaks me out so bad about him and how the media treat him differently than Kurt! First of all, why does Tony have to keep getting himself into these situations to begin with? And secondly, why is the media calling for Kurt's head on a plate when Tony Stewart has admittedly done far worse things and has never been punished as harshly for it?

The media has been too harsh, IMO, on Kurt, and that includes the guys in the booth (I'll minus Darrell from this, as I think he's concerned about retaliation with cars but not totally against it, since he was one of those guys back when he raced), not to mention Jimmy Spencer, who in his days of being rideless is suddenly a self-appointed saint when it comes to racing emotion. Oh. Please. Tonight on This Week In NASCAR I expected Michael to go all out and bash Kurt to the floor because I know he's not all that fond of him. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the panel took the scene with a light heart and instead reminisced about their own retaliations - notably Michael's Darlington paybacks. I suppose I can't be one to preach about how retaliation is a total no-no, since I do have two pictures of Michael wiping out Jeff Green in 2005 on my college binder...just as a little reminder of how you can only let someone screw with you so long before you have to take a stand. Maybe Kurt was wrong, but he felt like he was being messed with and he wanted to let Tony know that.

I'm also curious about the rumored punch or the intention to punch; apparently Tony's fist went out of control inside the NASCAR hauler (good place) and was attracted to Kurt's face. And according to more rumors that Schrader shared with us tonight, it was over a comment Kurt made about Tony's new 'do. Ouch. As much as I try to refrain from jabbing at a person's physical appearance, I've never been a big fan of the long, greasy-haired looked either. Long hair is fine, but it doesn't require five pounds of gel!

So that's over for now. They're not out of the woods yet because NASCAR may still dish out some sort of a spanking, but I don't think it will be suspensions and maybe not even points. I think Kurt and Tony will be making their first donations to charity instead.

UPDATE (February 12):

Both Kurt and Tony were put on probation for six races; no point or monetary fines. I'm sort of surprised! But I hope that despite the light penalties both drivers will behave and leave each other alone.

Daytona Int’l Speedway - Budweiser Shootout

Danni

RESULTS
1. Dale Jr.
6. Casey
11. Michael
13. DJ
18. Kurt
21. Martin

The first race of the year is always highly anticipated, especially since it's the all-out go-for-the-win non-points Bud Shootout. Just practice incidents the night before were cause to promise a wild race. But this one had us even more excited than usual. Dale Jr. and Casey had things to prove in their new rides. Michael and DJ were ready for redemption after a miserable 2006 season.

To make things better, Michael got to start on the pole since Kurt dropped to the rear of the field in his backup car. Hoping for some good listening, we tuned it onto Michael's radio over PitCommand. When the green dropped, everything looked good – Michael led, Dale Jr. shot to the front and they ran side-by-side for a couple laps! Then, all of a sudden, Michael couldn't hold the car. He dipped too low on the high side and was funneled down the middle so rapidly I was just waiting for him to crash. From about that moment on, Michael really did nothing but complain. Not pleasant to hear.

The racing in general was excellent. There was a lot of worry that the new cars would run so poorly that it would simply be a parade from start to finish. However, they could drive two-wide easily and even three-wide without too much danger. The first 20-lap segment had only one caution for the blown tire and single car accident of Bill Elliott. At its end, Junior still led with the impressive Dave Blaney in second. All cars went to pit road for adjustments and rest.

As expected, the final segment saw more action. A few laps in, Jamie McMurray turned his 26 Ford across the nose of Denny Hamlin's 11 Toyota, bringing out the yellow and ending McMurray's night. After the restart, Blaney towed the field once more before returning the helm to Junior. Although other drivers could pass the 88, no one could stay in front of him for long.

The big crash of the race occurred on Lap 48 when David Gilliland blew a tire in the middle of the pack. Several cars were collected, including Martin, who unfortunately had not been much of a contender anyway.

Now the Hendrick power really showed. All four cars were at the front and it was nice to see Casey showing his stuff. With only a few laps to go, Kurt had a tire go down in Turn 3. His car went off the banking, back on the banking and all the way to the exit of Turn 4 before it actually spun out. Needless to say, everyone was quite amazed. With the old car, it would surely have been a massive crash. However, the FOX panel brought up a good point – the side plates on the wing. They create more stability during spin-outs and allow time for drivers to save the car. Now, Kurt is famous for his car control, but I don't think this is the last time we'll see someone save a previously unsalvageable wreck.

The three lap sprint to the end was pretty wild. Tony Stewart led the restart and appeared unbeatable until Jimmie Johnson gave Dale Jr. a huge push down the backstretch on the last lap. His first race in a new ride and Junior sat in Victory Lane, a place he hadn't seen since the spring of 2006! He dominated the race with a record 47 laps led.

I think I was relieved more than excited! I'd feared that Junior would struggle with the Hendrick cars since I've heard they drive very different than other teams. But I was very pleased with the teamwork I saw between him and Jimmie, Jeff and Casey. The burnout was awesome, as usual!

In his post-race interview, I realized how not himself he's been for the past year or so. He looked giddy! He sounded so different and acted like it was his first win. Some people think Junior is spoiled and selfish, and I agree that some of the things he's said and done at DEI infuriated me. But, much like Kurt, I truly believe a team's bad leadership creates monsters and once a driver feels secure with his team owner, a change in personality follows. Rick Hendrick has done that for Junior, just as Roger Penske has for Kurt.

As much as I was happy for Junior and Casey, I was pretty disappointed with Michael and Dale's finishes. Their cars just did not handle. Michael was downright rude to his new crew chief, Paul Andrews, and made some degrading comments about the team during a poor pit stop. To Paul's credit, he did not take crap from Michael, yet he remained calm even though I heard an edge to his voice several times. I understand that Michael was probably frustrated and maybe a little panicky, but man…he did not make friends with his crew. That includes his spotter Mark Green, whom he laid a lengthy, barely coherent tirade upon following the checkered flag. It certainly did not encourage me any and reminded me so much of last year. I am hoping things get better, or the Daytona 500 may be missing the MWR cars.

Kurt and the Budweiser Shootout Practice

Jess

I'm pretty upset right now...and I've had a long time to think about it. Everything was going great in Speedweeks - MWR is awesome, my other boys are doing fine, yay happy smiles. All I could think about was how much I was looking forward to every speck of NASCAR coverage SPEED is showing.

Last night Kurt drew the pole for the Budweiser Shootout, which was, of course, very amusing to all Kurt Busch fans because of the marketing nightmare that is to Budweiser. Despite being sick with the flu Kurt held himself so well I didn't even realize he was sick until I read it online. This was encouraging because he was focused and ready to go win the Shootout even if he was feeling under the weather.

First practice went well. It was pretty wild and the cars were moving around a lot, but other than J.J. Yeley's cut tire that he caught in time to avoid a wreck it was incident free. Ahhh.

Second practice was when all hell broke loose. Luckily for Ryan Newman and Clint Bowyer their tangle seems to be talked over and all is well, even though it caused a huge wreck that took out a couple guys. From then on there was a tension.

Kurt was up near the front of the pack, and all of a sudden the commentators said that dreaded word "trouble" and showed the #2 slow on the track with smoke trailing behind it. At first I thought he blew an engine. And then I realized he was wrecked. And then, of all people, he was approaching Tony Stewart's 20 car at a high rate of speed.

KURT!!! STOP!!! DON'T DO IT DON'T DO IT DON'T!!!!!

But he did. SLAM!!

I had a flashback of the nightmare at Dover last season. Tony had been screwing with him the last few laps and finally wiped him out. Kurt retaliated on pit road, but to complicate things a crew member got involved and jumped out of the way as Kurt drove alongside Tony. I sat for days worrying. I was going down to Pocono the next weekend, and I was fully prepared to go and see someone else driving the #2 after Kurt was suspended. I was ready to accept that because I didn't agree with what Kurt did even though I understood why he did it. The crew member did not get hit, Kurt did not try to murder the guy, but I had to live with people saying he was out for blood. But I was lucky. He was 100 points down at Pocono, but NASCAR let him race.

Kurt gave Tony a good bump. He let him know how he felt. Then Pat Tryson came over the radio and told him to stop, and Kurt stopped. Tony decided to keep going, however. As Kurt went to turn into the entrance to the garage Tony slammed on the brakes and blocked him. Kurt went to go around his nose - and Tony blocked him again, not to mention he nearly took out Martin Truex Jr. at the same time. Kurt had to reverse, turn and reverse again to go around the back of Tony's car, where he was met by a few of the Home Depot crew. They threw up their arms like macho gangsters, they got near his window and as the parting shot one stepped right into Kurt's path as he was moving and slapped the hood and then the back of Kurt's car!

I was enraged by now. Who did they think they were? For a crew that was so concerned about the life of one of their own put in "danger" at Dover, they certainly had no thoughts about putting themselves in front of a car that was damaged by a wreck and leaving it very little room for it to maneuver. They had no business to march out onto pit lane. The #20 was drivable. The crew, though, was looking for a little drama. They were thinking of Dover, and knowing they are apparently immune to Kurt's car. That gave them the right to harrass him and put their hands on his sheetmetal? That was unbelievable.

I don't know what's going to happen to Kurt. Already I've heard way too many people on TV say over and over how wrong he is. He is. But they're leaving out the one person who instigated this mess with his cocky move on the track. The person with a long history of anger and car and physical altercations with a large list of drivers and just about anyone else who can walk around the the garage - a history Kurt can't even begin the compete with. Tony Stewart is a bully. He loves to push others over their breaking point. He loves to insult others, like he did to Darrell on live TV a few years ago. He has no respect. He is the master of manipulating any situtation into anyone else's fault but his own.

And he's allowed to do that. He's encouraged to do that. Bad boy. He wrecked someone. Yeah, bad boy. He punched a photographer. Bad boy. He tells a camera to get the fuck away. Bad boy. He blows off a fan for an autograph. Bad boy. He screws with Kurt's head and has a hissy fit when Kurt retaliates. Bad boy.

No, that sounds like someone with some issues to me. Like a spoiled kid he gets his way. Little slaps on the hand by NASCAR. Praise by the media he hates so much. Yet Kurt has been through more than he has. He has been humilated far more than he has. And Kurt is more of a man than he is. Funny how some go through controversy and grow up, and some just keep going through controversy and feed off of it.

And to what the media is saying about how using the cars to retaliate - okay. From Day 1 of NASCAR racing, drivers have used their cars to retaliate. Dale Earnhardt made using cars as weapons famous. Michael Waltrip used his car back at Darlington in 2005 to show Jeff Green how he felt about him. In fact, there are very few drivers who have never used their car as a weapon. So to point fingers at Kurt and say that he was so wrong is so hypocritical when it's a part of racing - a violent part that I don't really enjoy, but a part all the same and always will be until somehow a car will automatically turn off at the slightest touch, or at NASCAR's will. As much as I love DW, when he pointed that finger at Kurt I couldn't help but wonder how many times Darrell used his car to bump someone.

What are drivers supposed to do? Every time one gets mad at another is the whole race supposed to be stopped so they can all get out and beat the crap out of each other? Is it better to have these drivers physically assaulting each other than bumping side panels? I don't agree with being mad at someone and hooking them right into the wall, but the bumping Kurt did to Tony was harmless and justified. I'm sorry, but Kurt and Tony were not going to have a little sissy fight like Kevin Harvick and Juan Montoya did. If they had gotten to each other out on that infield there would have been fists and blood. Is that better for the sport? And let's say the crews come out to defend their driver and now we have a huge mob of people throwing punches. Give me a break. It's so funny in theory I suppose, but not in real life.

I want to cry when I think about what Kurt must be feeling. He's like the good kid in school who is bullied by the big tough guy that everyone is too afraid to stand up to. But then the kid loses his temper and fights back he's the one who gets suspended, and the bully holds his broken nose and bawls and gets escorted to the nurse's office by a cooing teacher. I hope NASCAR sees this; I hope they see he's a good person who has matured so much since he left Roush. Since he left that hell hole, the only person to make him snap is Tony Stewart. His own brother wiped him out and he didn't freak out.

Kurt deserves to race tomorrow. He really does. But if NASCAR won't let him...what can I do about it? He retaliated and he knows it, and NASCAR knows it, and it's exactly what Tony was hoping for because that's the story of his life. If Kurt has to sit my only hope is that Tony sits too and feels that humiliation I think he needs to feel to grow up. Don't worry about it, Tony. The fans and your precious media will always back you. Maybe. Keep listening for the boos when your name is announced - and keep listening for the increased cheers Kurt is getting. People like a guy who has grown into maturity.

Phoenix Int'l Raceway - Checker Auto Parts 500

RACE WINNER: JIMMIE JOHNSON

Our Boys Running Order:
7. Martin (started 2nd)
12. Kurt (started 9th)
13. Casey (started 11th)
21. Brian (started 22nd)
43. Dale Jr. (started 35th)
DNQ Michael
DNQ DJ
DNQ David

That Jimmie Johnson is on a tear, isn’t he?

Martin had a good car all day and led 72 laps, but unfortunately a bad pit call cost the team the race. They stayed out under caution and very few others did, and they just couldn’t compete with the fresher cars. He had better luck than Dale Jr., though. The Bud Chevy seemed to be pretty decent but June just lost it and crashed into the inside wall. I don’t think he’s a big fan of the New Car and I’m sure the wreck didn’t help his opinion…and will he ever get some luck?!

Both Kurt and Casey had good days and with Junior’s troubles I was confident that Casey would take over 13th in points. But then I realized that Ryan Newman and Greg Biffle had really good days, so Casey actually lost points and fell back to 16th. Hmph!

Like Dale Jr., Brian is not having a good time in the New Car. 21st is definitely not a bad finish, especially since they had brake problems, but it makes me a little worried about next season.

I’m not a big fan of Kasey Kahne, but I felt pretty bad for him after he wrecked out. He looked fairly distressed during his interview and ESPN pretty much rubbed it in his face. My jaw just hung open! Kahne was very clearly angry and beating himself up about “driving like an idiot” and getting into several rough situations on the track, and Jamie Little had the nerve to ask him how many contacts he had, and that she knew he had “two for sure”? Gee, thanks for noticing! These ESPN reporters (with the exception of Allen and Dave) are so insensitive! It drives me crazy! If you see that a driver is upset don’t pour more salt into the wound!

Our Boys Point Standings
- Driver Points -
10. Kurt -516 behind 1st
11. Martin -563 behind 1st
14. Dale Jr. -58 behind 13th
16. Casey -103 behind 13th
- Owner Points -
38. Brian -410 behind 35th
39. David -525 behind 35th
40. Michael -909 behind 35th
41. DJ -958 behind 35th

Phoenix International Raceway - Arizona.Travel 200

RACE WINNER: KYLE BUSCH

Our Boys Running Order:
4. Scott (started 2nd)
12. David (started 15th)
27. Brian (started 21st)

This was a good race and Scott did a wonderful job, as he has all year, at padding the point lead for Richard Childress’ second owner championship in a row. Teammate Clint Bowyer was kind enough to let Scott lead a lap despite the hard-charging Kyle Busch behind them, and Kevin Harvick, ESPN’s in-race reporter, mentioned wanting to help his teammate near the end of the race. Scott is truly the under-the-radar driver at RCR but Richard’s got a jewel in him. I’m excited for next season but I wish that Scott would be full-time in one ride instead of hopping around (I know he’ll be in the 29 for some races next season, but I don’t know if he as a driver will be able to go for the championship; and the 21 is sponsorless as this point so will there even be another ride for Scott to go to?). I’d like to see Scott be able to live up to the potential I know he has to be a regular winner.

David had a great car but staying out at the end of the race while several other pitted for fresh tires hurt him and he fell back to 12th. ESPN did something I appreciated before the green flew, and that was playing a feature on David’s Memphis win and Wiley King, the young man who designed David’s paint scheme through St. Jude’s. By the time it was finished I was just about crying! It really made me proud of these NASCAR drivers who give back so much to those who need it the most. There’s so much more to life than racing, like making Wiley’s dream come true at Memphis, and it puts things into perspective.

Whenever Brian gets into the 10 car he runs well and this weekend was no different. Unfortunately bad luck likes to follow this team whether it’s on the track or on pit road and it bit them in both ways this time. Brian lost a ton of spots during pit stops and was back in the field. Then disaster struck, the type of thing you never want to see. AJ Allmendinger was diving to Brian’s inside when he got loose and shot into him. Brian crashed hard and his day was over. I know AJ didn’t mean it. He likes and respects Brian and has given him a lot of credit for the setups the 83 team has provided the 84. Tonight on INC Brian made it clear he wasn’t happy with AJ, but also said that they were going to talk it over. I sure hope they do and put it behind them.

Kyle Busch won his second race of the weekend and it was very meaningful for me as a fan, Kyle and crew chief Alan Gustafson because it was Kyle’s last run in the Busch car. It’s no secret that Kyle and Alan have had their share of bitter spats and tension this season, and they haven’t treated each other very well. This win was the best thing that could have happened to them…the emotion was clear in Alan’s voice and I could almost feel the wall coming down between him and his driver. Despite their frustration with each other, despite the fights they’ve had, they love each other and have a special friendship. I’ll miss them together next season. I loved them because they were both young and talented and passionate. Every race they won they treated as if it were their last win ever (that’s one thing I really enjoy about Kyle: he does the burnout of his life, salutes the crowd and runs around the track like a maniac every single time!). This most likely will be the last race they ever win together. I was glad to see the weight lifted off them and the smiles in Victory Lane.

David’s Points:
1. Carl Edwards --
2. David -571 behind leader
3. Jason Leffler -194 behind David

Qualifying Suckage

Well today pretty much sucked for MWR. I figured from the get-go that DJ and Michael were going to have a hard time making the race because while Michael was decent in practice he was the second car out during qualifying, a disadvantage against those making their runs as the track cooled; Dale had a better draw but was just plain horrid in practice. So to see them slipping down the list of star cars on Trackpass (ESPN is always far behind real time) didn’t surprise me as much as it saddened me. Okay, I thought, David will make me smile. He was the fastest go-or-go-homer in practice with a very late draw and has commonly been the MWR car to make it while the other two do not. His name came up on Trackpass…and just sat there. It didn’t take long for my heart to sink and I vainly hoped that Trackpass froze or something, but then Denny Hamlin’s name came up and a brief thing about a delay due to track conditions. I was left to fret and wonder what happened until the TV broadcast caught up.

David was on the track when they came back from commercial and the motor sounded awful, so I figured the next scene would be full of smoke. But instead the cause of the problem was so small the tape had to be slowed down: a bolt. A freaking bolt. It came flying out of the back of the car and a belt followed soon after…the booth guys said it was to the oil pump. And that little bolt proved fatal.

All three MWR Cup cars are going home. For the first time.

It was an empty feeling I haven’t experienced since the shock of Michael’s first DNQ back in 2006. While I love each MWR driver individually and always feel cruddy if any one of them DNQs, to have all of them go home was far worse because I look at it as a setback for MWR as a whole. It stings because things were starting to improve. They were all qualifying and running well for a while. But this just shows that anything can happen and knock you right back down. It sucks. And I’m still scared thinking about the future and that Michael and David could have to live with qualifying days being the worst days of their lives all over again next season.

David still has the Busch race, which he has a good chance of winning. Michael McDowell looks pretty good too, and was following Kyle Busch around during practice, learning from one of the best. Tomorrow appears very promising and I have to look on the bright side of things, I guess, and keep focused on that.

Texas Motor Speedway - Dickie's 500

RACE WINNER: JIMMIE JOHNSON

Our Boys Running Order:
3. Martin (started 1st)
8. Kurt (started 6th)
14. Dale Jr. (started 12th)
23. Brian (started 22nd)
31. Casey (started 9th)
38. DJ (started 26th)
43. David (started 43rd)
DNQ Michael

In general, it was a somewhat boring race. Having Jimmie Johnson win again didn’t really add excitement but it is just amazing how perfect that team is. I wish Matt Kenseth could have pulled off a victory for a breath of fresh air.

Martin got his first career pole and followed it up with an awesome run. This team really needs it because although they are out of the championship, they are fighting for that 10th spot in the points and a speech on stage during the banquet. I think it’s kind of unfair that even though a team busts their butts and makes the revered Chase, it’s still only the top-10 who get recognition.

The #2 team was having a fine day until Kurt was forced to pit under green for a loose right front wheel. He fell a lap down as a result. Eventually the free pass rule put him back on the lead lap, but there was not enough time to give a finish that the car was capable of producing.

Sad to say, it was another one of those good at the beginning, fade at the end type races for Dale Jr. that I’ve been getting used to seeing. As the sun set, the car became harder to handle. Brian also had a tough day, but kept digging for a decent finish.

From Casey on down, things didn’t turn out too well. Casey was having a good run until he got loose under Tony Stewart and tagged him. Lots of smoke ensued, causing mass confusion and chaos behind. Dale Jarrett was one of those who had nowhere to go. To make it worse, he was running close to the top-20 at the time. MWR’s other team had no more luck. David was starting to run competitive lap times around 15th place when he began losing cylinders. It blew up shortly afterwards, relegating him to a depressing last place finish.

Our Boys Point Standings
- Driver Points -
9. Kurt -453 behind 1st
12. Martin -524 behind 1st
13. Dale Jr.
15. Casey -135 behind 13th
- Owner Points -
38. Brian -440 behind 35th
39. David -471 behind 35th
40. Michael -870 behind 35th
41. DJ -907 behind 35th

O'Reilly Challenge - Texas Motor Speedway

RACE WINNER: KEVIN HARVICK

Our Boys Running Order:
15. Casey (started 24th)
18. David (started 1st)

To back up his win, David went out and got another #1 in qualifying at Texas! It was even more satisfying that it was Tony Stewart who he knocked aside. But, in what’s seeming to become a trend, SPEED, who was airing qualifying, switched over to Trackside before it was even over and we missed David actually getting the pole! I was so upset. It took them ten minutes to give him an interview. I’m just sick of this “who cares about Reutimann” attitude the broadcasting stations have.

Casey qualified decently, but was sent to the back of the pack before the race when NASCAR discovered the threads on their lugnuts were altered in order to make pit stops faster.

The race began kind of like how I expected it to. Stewart was all congratulatory-friendly after David knocked him off the pole, but I knew that was a freaking act. When the green flag dropped, he laid back and shot off, nosing in front of David just after they crossed the line. Then he raced David like a sucker – forcing him down the track, pinching him off and giving him no room whatsoever. David never even got to lead a lap due to Stewart’s typical greediness and “take” personality.

It kind of went downhill from the start. The car didn’t seem to be as good as the pole suggested and David fell to the edge of the top-10. Not horrible, right? Then he had a right front tire go flat and had to pit under green flag racing. From then on it was a struggle for the free pass – a battle David never won. Casey was next in line to get on the lead lap when the checkers fell.

To make the race even more irritating, we got Carl Edwards shoved down our throats every five minutes or so. The booth acted like every moment was the last lap of the last race and Carl was only a point in front of the guy 2nd in the standings (because they hardly ever mention that it’s David). When enough cars were out of the race, he clinched the championship. What a battle. So exciting. And the celebration afterward was just so full of energy. Not.

Another experienced Cup driver with a fully-supported Cup car under a successful Cup team banner winning a Busch Championship. Something to be proud of, I guess.

David’s Points:
1. Carl Edwards --
2. David -552 behind leader
3. Jason Leffler -209 behind David