So, what did we learn at Dover?
Well, we learned that Jimmie Johnson had the best car. He led the most laps. He won for the sixth time this season, the 53rd Cup race of his career. In 18 races at Dover, he has won six, with a dozen top tens to his credit. Jimmie likes Dover, a lot. By the way, he kind of likes Kansas, too. Eight races, a win, six top tens, and three poles. It won’t be any easier for those who dream of challenging the champ.
We learned that Denny Hamlin, still 35 points ahead of Johnson, has a lot to say about things he thinks he knows a lot about. We may soon learn how many fists Kevin Harvick can fit into Denny’s mouth. If you tell the world that someone is a cheat you better be standing on pretty firm ground, or a fellow could wind up laying on the dirt.
We learned that a tow truck could have rearranged things at the back of Clint Bowyer’s car at New Hampshire which resulted in the 150 point penalty. I’m sure Hamlin disagrees, but that just reminds me as to why I don’t have any of his paraphernalia. By the time you read this, we’ll all know if NASCAR agrees or not.
We learned that while Bowyer’s penalty was the talk of the garage, we got to talking about a few boys who got caught speeding last Sunday when they shouldn’t have been. Bowyer did it coming and going on the same stop and wound up 25th. Without those 150 points, he is done like dinner. Tony Stewart had enough gas at the end this week, but he also got caught being too rapid at the wrong time. He finished 21st and, along with Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle, could be nearing next year country.
We learned that being good part of the time does not mean much when time is done. Just ask A.J. Allmendinger, who looked like a real contender until a tire went down to take him out of the lead, and contention. He still finished 10th. It was a better fate than the one experienced by Martin Truex Jr. He also looked good for a time, until that axle broke. He was back in Joe Nemechek’s Neighborhood with a 34th place result.
Eight drivers remain within a hundred points of each other atop the standings as they head to Kansas for NASCAR’s tenth stop in the history of the venue. Jeff Gordon has owned this track, with a pair of wins and 6 top fives, but Tony Stewart won his second in Kansas just a year ago. Greg Biffle and Bowyer also have good records here, but so does one other fellow. His name is Johnson. That can’t be good news for a few fellows. Enjoy the week.
