Posted on May 29, 2007

The GOOD, The BAD, & The UGLY - Unsafe Rubber Flies Off Johnson To Cull The Herd

by Ron Thornton About The Author	Email   Print

It is not often that the turning points in a 600-mile race take place over the first 100 miles, but that is exactly what happened last Sunday.  First, some BAD rubber left the tire of Jimmie Johnson to fly into the path of checking and diving competitors early in the Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte.  16 cars got tagged to various degrees in the mayhem.  On the restart, Tony Raines spun Jeff Gordon into the path of A.J. Allmendinger, culling the herd even further.  You have to admit, whether by accident or not, it was an effective strategy on the part of those two harbingers of havoc. Johnson finished tenth, in part due to a hung lug nut in the pits with a hundred miles to go, while Raines finished 14th.

Some final results are exciting, and some was just very, very satisfying.  With the leaders running on vapors and needing a final dash for gas at the end, Casey Mears was GOOD to go to the checkered flag.  Coming a day after his runner-up NBS finish, this marked the 29 year old Californian's first Cup victory and continues the family tradition of Memorial Day celebrations. His uncle, Rick, won four Memorial Day races at Indianapolis.

Just how GOOD was this day for some?  Well,  J.J. Yeley was second, the first Top Five of his career. Kyle Petty third, his best finish in nearly a decade.  Fourth went to Reed Sorenson, the best finish for the 21-year old in his 50-race Cup experience.  Brian Vickers strong-armed a car in which power steering was a long ago memory to round out the Top Five and give Toyota its best result yet. Now, if we could only have such finishes every week.

BAD weekend for the Busch boys.  Kurt, along with Vickers, had been the class of the field early, but as the sun went down so did the quality of his ride.  With less than 50 laps to go, he caught the fence for a second time to finally put the auto out of its misery.  Earlier, Kyle had cut a tire down, pancaked the left side, and broke a brake rotor.  He would limp around to finish 30th, two better than older brother.

Among the big boys, at least according to the standings, Tony Stewart was the best, finishing sixth.  Ricky Rudd was next, the best he has done since his one year sabbatical ended in February.  Mind you, since 1979, you could bet the farm that Rudd would claim at least one Top Five over the course of any campaign he competed in.  Dale Earnhardt, Jr was eighth, but still 13 points behind Jamie McMurray for a Chase invitation.  Those who were in the Top Dozen in the standings before the race remain there, including Denny Hamlin, who finished just ahead of Johnson on Sunday.

GOOD to see Dale Jarrett make the race on time.  Too BAD he left when his engine let go just 125 miles in to this thing.  As for UGLY, may I direct your attention to the idle vehicles of Michael Waltrip and David Reutimann, both wrecked during qualifying.  You know, I'm one of those guys who doesn't mind kicking a guy when he is down, but my leg hurts.  Enough already.    

Talking about the Jarrett family, GOOD to see daddy Ned return to the airwaves, if only for a short time, to assist his boy during the Busch broadcast on Saturday.  I'm glad they have managed to get past that broadcast truck theft attempt. It is always sad when a dad goes BAD.

Cookie power is still working for Kenny Wallace, as a fresh container of goodies made its way from Colorado to aid in their qualifying efforts.  Wallace found a place just outside the Top Twenty for the first 400 miles before engine woes parked him in 34th.

More BAD times than GOOD for Greg Biffle and crew.  He lost a tire and found the fence before any of the other wrecks to finish dead last.  Crew chief Pat Tryson got bounced in favor of Greg Erwin, while some rumor mills have both Tryson and his former driver eventually ending up together at DEI.  

With his suspension lifted, ex-Waltrip crew chief David Hyder returns to the pit box next weekend at Dover International Speedway to guide the #36 Toyota driven by Jeremy Mayfield.  That car was near the front on Sunday, but its engine gave up the ghost with 25 miles to go.  I understand Hyder has some expertise when it comes to engines.

Jeff Gordon and his wife have a baby due in early July and the four time champ plans to be there for the event.  So, what happens if the arrival coincides with a race date?  Jeff plans to be a GOOD attentive parent right from the start, so if the baby is on the way, he'll be at the hospital and Mark Martin will be in the Dupont Chevy.  It would mark the first race Gordon would miss since he got behind the wheel at Atlanta in the final race of the 1992 season.  As for the Chase, he could miss a couple of races and still be in GOOD shape.  That is, provided he is driving no where near Tony Raines.  

Kasey Kahne, who was 23rd on Sunday, won the Busch race on Saturday.  In Mansfield, Ohio, it was Dennis Setzer driving to victory in a truck.  At Cayuga Speedway Park, near Hamilton, Ontario, hometown boy Don Thomson, Jr. won the inaugural NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event. At Indianapolis, Ashley Judd's hubby Dario Franchitti won the 500.  In Monaco, Spain's Fernando Alonso claimed the Grand Prix. Here at home, I'm racing to cut the lawn before the next rain fall.

So, after all the Memorial Day excitement here and abroad, this weekend turns to Delaware where the Craftsman, Busch, and Nextel folks take on the Monster Mile at Dover.  Enjoy the racing!

You can contact Ron at thornton@speedwaymedia.com

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