BAM! That is what Kyle Larson heard when Clint Bowyer tagged him on the first turn of the first lap at Richmond on Saturday night. Larson did not suffer much and returned to action, and I thought he cut down on Bowyer. No fault on Bowyer, I thought. Karma thought otherwise.
BAM! That was the sound of Clint Bowyer’s tire turning into a torch. SIZZLE! That is what you hear when the heat of the fire melts off your front fender to end your day dead last.
BAM! Cole Whitt had the very same experience as Bowyer, though he managed to keep his fender more or less intact. Too much black smoke to break out the wieners and marshmallows, but the boys in the garage got him back out there to finish 41st, 33 laps down.
BAM! There went Reed Sorenson. Electrical problems was the official reason he finished 42nd, but a big ole tire fire had everything to do with it.
BAM! So ended the post-race conversation between Casey Mears and Marcos Ambrose. The boys were not happy with each other, talked without much cool down time, and then Mears decided to push the man from down under around a bit. That led to the right cross that landed solidly to Casey’s left eye. BAM! Even Mears had to admit that he got clocked a good one, none of that “fly-swatting” crap.
BAM! Well, Jeff Gordon might have said something that rhymed with that when all was said and done Saturday evening. For a time, it appeared Four Time was going to claim his first, but when they re-started with nine to go, Joey Logano slipped below a trio of past champs in Matt Kenseth, Brad Keselowski, and Gordon to claim his second victory of the season. It was the fifth win of his Cup career, as he turns 24 in one month and should compete in his 200th event come Kentucky in two months.
BAM! Well, to be truthful, all Keselowski and Kenseth did was talk but Brad was not happy. Matt had the lead when he squeezed his rival up near the fence, opening the door for Joey to charge in front. Still, no crumpled metal as both boys wound up disappointed. In the end, Gordon was the runner-up, with Kyle Busch slipping ahead of the other two at the line.
BAM! They might have carried enough fuel for 70 laps, but the tires did not last much beyond 55. Busch thought the cause of all the woes was a compound that proved too hard for the track and wore the rubber down to the cords. Jimmie Johnson did not go off like a Roman candle, but he lost four laps due to tire issues to finish 32nd.
BAM! I think we are going to be hearing a lot of that next weekend, and let us hope it has nothing to do with tires. Talladega comes our way on Sunday and one thing we have come to expect is a Big One, where they begin determining the outcome early through the process of elimination.
BAM! Some might have been a few laps back, but 40 cars were still running at the checkered flag in Richmond last Saturday night. That will not be the case this Sunday afternoon.
