I’m one happy camper. After the snoozer in Calif., this one turned out to be a great one. Although there were far too many tire issues, this was a race to remember. Sorta gets yer blood flowing in the right direction, eh?
Park the Starts: Well, NA$CAR finally decided to look closely at the ‘start and park’ teams. They’ve instituted a new post race inspection policy for Sprint Cup races in which the first car out of the race that’s not involved in an accident will be held for teardown, much like the cars that currently finish in the top five. This, of course, can be a financial disaster for any team without good sponsorship and barely holding on with their finger nails. But at least they know this in advance, and will have to take a calculated risk of parking too early.
Dodging the bullet: Well, there was a real scare running up and down pit road for awhile. Someone spread the rumor that Steve Wallace was gonna run some Cup races. Whereas he may eventually have potential as a driver, he’s still a loose cannon that could wreck havoc on any race he enters. But alas, the rumor was denied….and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Long Carl: It was reported that Carl Long was being allowed to return to NA$CAR, and would be running in the Truck series. But someone doused him with cold water, cuz he failed to qualify for the race. Of course, the most important bit of news was left out. How in the heck did he walk through the NA$CAR land mine field, and who and what allowed him to be reinstated?? I Googled Carl, got on his website, but no answers were to be found. Maybe he got one of those secret ‘release from prison’ cards, on the basis that he can’t divulge how or who allowed this to transpire. Hmmmm……….
Jr: Who in the world would’ve expected Jr to sit on a Pole? I know that by the time we read this, we’d know the outcome of the race, but just that one lone hint of the future has Jr. Nation on the edges of their seats. Trust me…. His fanatics are still on his side, and if he gets one W they’ll be running him for President……
A Super Race: This was one of the best Atlanta races from flag to flag. Too bad the stands were only half filled, but who knows….races like this just might stimulate the fans to return in droves. But then, one has to consider the fickle finger of fate that Mother Nature has been known to dole out at this Spring race (and even the Spring Bristol race).
RoboGordo: Robby was the first drop-out of the race, and it just smells like he might not have his whole head in the game. Sure, this early exit might be chalked up to a tire issue and a wall job, but it seems like he may be more dedicated to the off road races than to the Cup races. I’ve always liked Robo’s sort of smug attitude, and it would be a shame to see him fold his tent. Right now he’s gotta get his act together, cuz he’s in 36th place and needs some solid finishes if he wants to get into races with top 35 points vs. having to race his way in.
Tires: Goodyear brought a new set of left tires to this race, but whether it was the tires, the weather, the worn out track, or the setups, there were far too many bad tires at this race. It wasn’t as bad as what happened at Indy a few years ago, but almost all of the drivers had tire problems (and some of them multiple times). Let’s hope that Goodyear will investigate it and come up with an even better tire for future races here. But then…..the return to the spoiler could change everything.
Jr.: A classic race for Jr. He either shoots himself in the foot, or he is shot in both feet. He immediately dropped a few places, then about 1/4th the way into the race it looked like they had recovered and were gonna march back to the front. But nooo, that’s not how it went down. At least twice he complained of tire vibrations, came in during green flags and went 2 laps down. But I’m in a bewilderment that he eventually finished in 15th place.
Gordo: I didn’t keep track of how he did it (probably due to tire issues), but at one point he was 2 laps down. Another amazement, cuz he finished in 18th.
Feud: The most exciting part of the race was seeing the road rage that Flip Edwards seemed to have seething from within. On Lap 40, Flip edged downwards on the track, right into Bradski’s way. Bradski nudged him, and Flip went up into Joey and eventually into the wall. Da Flipster reviewed the tape, and didn’t seem upset at what he saw. But with only 3 laps to go, and with da Flipster many laps down, he nudged Bradski (who was running in the top 10) and sent him into the wall, then going airborne and doing a quick roof job. From the replays, it was obvious to everyone that Flip turned his wheel to ram Bradski, so it was an obvious pay-back. Doing the right thing, NA$CAR parked the 99 car, and ordered him to their hauler for a severe tongue lashing. Since fines are usually doled out on a Tuesday, we’re just gonna have to wait a few days to see the ultimate impact. But this doesn’t smell good from several aspects. #1: Edwards may have a hidden rage issue, and #2: his prospects for winning a Championship this year are pretty much in the dumpster. Nonetheless, this made the race that much more interesting from a fan standpoint. Bring it on……..
Kudos: Many kudos could be dealt out due to the racy aspect over this cookie cutter. Each one of the Top 11 drivers deserves special recognition for their efforts. Among them, Meynerd, Dinger, and Speedo should be singled out for an outstanding race, and perhaps their best to date. Way to go, dudes. Thanks for making this race a special one for us fans.
Heaps of 3’s over yer foamy Miller Lite,
Racing Maniac #3
It’s one thing if they were fighting for the win on the last lap at Richmond. The problem I have with it is that Mr. Ed was 156 laps down and made at least two blatant attempts to take out Bucky Brad on the fastest portion of the fastest track on the circuit.
Given that, combined with his history of ‘roid rage, NASCAR needs to park him (along withe the 99 car/team) for a week, along with a hefty money and points penalty. Anything less and they lose some serious cred.
Nah, all they’ll do is sit him down, wag the official finger at him, and tell him not to be so obvious about it next time. I mean, it’s not like he’s a one-man operation with a worn-out engine in a non-points exhibition race. Now, those type of offenses are serious business…