Sofa Sideline – The Irish Hills Beckon – Jarrett Answers the Call
Eleven years ago, on August 18th
Dale Jarrett got his first Winston Cup victory at Michigan International
Speedway, and the 18th remains a lucky one on the calendar for
Jarrett. Today’s winning of the Pepsi 400 marks the third time Jarrett has
picked up the win on the date of August 18th.
Who what have thought? The first incident
of the race, on lap 12, was none other than Dale Jarrett. Jarrett got loose
coming off of turn four and spun off into the grass down the front stretch. No
major damage to the car; just the left front fender pushed in a little. Jarrett
restarted in 35th and quietly picked his way back up through the
field to get the win.
A caution on lap 163 for debris (what a
surprise) had most drivers either taking two tires or just gas. Jarrett had
opted for four tires, and had to move is way up from 17th place to
overtake race leader, Jeff Burton, with three laps to go.
Burton had stayed out on the track on that
caution and it was questionable whether he could make it the distance on gas. A
caution with 15 laps to go ensured he would make it, but he was also having
problems with overheating. The car was unbelievably strong under the
circumstances, and he actually came in fourth; the car blowing smoke badly at
the end of the race – not sure this car would have gone even one more lap.
Tony Stewart finished second. He was at
the front of the pack at the beginning of the race, had a bad restart after
caution number three where he dropped all the way back to 20th. After
the race he alluded to having a tire problem; saying "maybe I didn’t get
the tires cleaned off or what?" However, he still managed to capture the
second place finish and keep himself very much in the hunt for the championship
as the seasons goes into the final 13 week stretch.
Rounding out the top ten were; Harvick 3rd,
Burton 4th, Martin 5th, Marlin 6th, Johnson 7th,
Benson 8th, Green 9th, Earnhardt Jr. 10th.
For awhile the young guns looked like they
were taking over. Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman were racing for the top spot; Busch
on top for awhile, then Newman taking over. At the end of the day, both suffered
from engine woes; Busch taking it to the garage on lap 159 and Newman losing a
cylinder around lap 163. Jimmie Johnson finished seventh; not ever in contention
for the win, but nonetheless, a good, solid finish.
Steve Park took another hard hit on lap
142 when he got loose and backed into the wall; with damage being enough to end
his day.
The leaders in the point race finished 5,
6 and 7 so no major changes here. Marlin remains in the lead by 46 points over
Mark Martin; Jimmie Johnson in third 64 points out; Tony Stewart 84 down in
fourth. Jeff Gordon is in fifth place; but after starting and finishing in 19th
place, had better pick up the pace soon if he has any chance.
We’ll no doubt see some gearing up in
this last segment of the season, and consistent top ten finishes will not be the
order of the day; winning races, the name of the game. A couple of more wins…."whole
new ballgame" as the expression goes. I’m thinking maybe a championship
will make Tony happy?
Other notes:
The Busch Series race on Saturday was also
a good race to watch. There were several Cup drivers in the event, including
Michael Waltrip who went on to win the race. I’ve always gone back and forth
on whether or not the "Cup" drivers should be allowed to run in the
Busch series; but this week probably felt the disappointment a little more for
those who didn’t make the field. This week, it just didn’t seem right…
Silly Season – where it’s at
-
Elliott Sadler finally got to say out
loud that he would be going to Yates Racing with M&M’s as the sponsor. -
Johnny Benson / James Ince re-signed
with MBV. -
Kenny Schrader is "free to
look" for other opportunities. -
Ricky Rudd; just when you thought it
was going to be Ganassi – maybe Wood Bros. now? -
Steve Park re-signed with DEI.
The ARCA RE/MAX Series race at the
Illinois State Fairgrounds one-mile dirt track in Springfield, Illinois was won
by none other than (you guessed it), Frank Kimmel. There’s just no stopping
him!
Winston Cup action moves to the infamous
"night race" in Bristol, Tennessee; lots of action, friendly folks; a
good time to be had by all. Can’t wait!!
That’s it for now.