Sofa Sideline – And the Winner is – Tony Stewart!
Once again the Joe Gibbs team brings home
a win in Atlanta, only this time it was the Home Depot number 20 driving into
the winners circle. Stewart ran with the front group throughout the day leading
for a total of 143 laps, but there was plenty of "fussin and fightin"
going as there were a strong group of contenders for the lead throughout most of
the day. But when all was said and done, the number 20 was atop the score board.
"It feels great," said Stewart.
I think it’s my first 500-mile win, too, so it even makes it that much more
special. We came down here in the fall and tested for two days. We didn’t
spend any time working on qualifying setups. We just worked strictly on race
setups. We ran good here in the fall and came back and tried a couple more
things that we didn’t get to try in the fall, and the car picked up a little
bit."
The last restart with 24 laps to go and
Ward Burton in the lead, the only goal was to get by the number 22 as fast as
possible. "I knew he was good out front and I thought if we could ever get
by him and get in clean air – that was the biggest thing. This Pontiac does
not like to be in traffic, so if we could get back by him quickly and get in
clean air, that we’d have a shot at this," said Stewart.
What can you say – he looks like a
winner, he sounds like a winner, and above all else, Tony Stewart drives like a
winner. This early season win propels him even faster toward that ultimate year
end goal – you know the big one.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished in second
place and looked in winning format throughout the race as well. He’s still not
happy with the performance of his Chevy Monte Carlo so far this season, but it
is nice to see him so focused on doing what it takes to get the job done.
How about them rookies, eh? Jimmie Johnson
with a great run, finishing third; Ryan Newman with a tenth place finish and
second place in the points standings.
On the other hand, Jimmie’s boss, Jeff
Gordon, did not have such a hot day winding up sixteenth. His frustration was
showing when he was complaining about a lap car, not getting out of his way.
Well the lap car just happened to be Jeff Burton, who at the time was racing for
position against Robby Gordon. Sometimes I guess you just can’t get out of the
way…
Kurt Busch – throughout most of the race
he seemed to be the only one truly able to just blow by Tony Stewart. It took a
long run to get there, but I am not sure that he would have been beaten had it
ended with a 60 lap straight run. Unfortunately, that was not the case and Busch
lost a few positions late in the race that he was not able to make up, and wound
up in eleventh position. But, he looked pretty good when he was up front and had
sure given Stewart some heat earlier in the race.
Great race for Rusty Wallace as well. He
started all the way back in 38th place, but steadily moved forward to
end in sixth position. He just seemed to all of a sudden appear, but if you had
paid attention to him during the race, you saw the gradual progression to the
front. At one point, it looked like he might finish third, but the car just got
too tight at the end and he settled in to the sixth place spot, pretty happy
with the result.
Mark Martin – we’re beginning to see
that consistency this season, which has been so evident in the past – third
top ten finish this year. Okay, so next we need to see that elusive win.
And the Petty camp, smiles are starting to
be seen there. Buckshot Jones got his best ever finish ending up twelfth, and
Kyle Petty came in fifteenth. Andretti had some problems during the day with a
36th place ending, after getting tangled up with Johnny Benson late in the race,
It still looks like this team is coming around with the changes made; Robin
Pemberton as vice president and general manager, Mike Ege’s engines, and Steve
Lane coming over from the 12 car. It’s early yet, but as the saying goes
"looking good"!
A not so good day for the other member of
the Gibbs team, as Bobby Labonte got spun by Jimmy Spencer during a pit stop and
in trying to spin the car back around, Labonte said he over-revved the motor and
it caused the car to blow a cylinder. The crew put a "band aid" on the
engine and got back out on the track to make a few more laps and wind up with a
37th place finish.
And now I’m going to say this out loud
– granted Shawna Robinson is getting herself into the races these days
qualifying on time, but she’s ending the races several laps down. For now, the
jury is still out because I’m thinking the engines are just not strong enough.
However, if things don’t start picking up, then she needs to step back a
series (or two) or do something different, because it doesn’t appear to be
much of a learning tool if you are never in the game at all.
Other notes:
Steve Park is going to be driving the #1
Pennzoil car in Darlington this week. He’s tested extensively, and has been
cleared by the doctors as being good too go. On the one hand it’s certainly
great to see him back, and see that "gleam" in his eye again, but it’s
also sad to see Kenny Wallace lose the ride. I had the opportunity to hear Steve
speak and the difference is remarkable and we wish him the best of luck on
Sunday. And Kenny, we wish you the best in the Busch series and hope to see you
soon in another Cup ride.
The ARCA/REMAX race held Saturday at the
Atlanta Motor Speedway ended a few laps shy due to rainy conditions at the
track, but Damon Lusk in the Dynatek/One Race America number 22 was declared the
winner. Chad Blount finished second with Cam Strader coming home in the third
place position.
Instinct says to pay attention to Tina
Gordon who had worked her way up to the third position, but finished in eight
place due to late race engine problems. Some of the best racing on the track was
going on between her and Cam Strader throughout most of the event. Tina’s car
was strong, but she also took a great line around the track and seemed to be
smart when making passes. I think Gordon is an up and coming driver and
definitely one to watch in the future.
The ARCA/REMAX Series is often a stepping
stone for young drivers looking to move into Busch or Winston Cup racing, and it
was good to get an opportunity to spend some time with this group, and we look
forward to attending more races with this great bunch of folks over the coming
months.
Next up – Darlington – too tough to
tame… but you know someone will!
That’s it for now.