Maybe the greatest legacy Dale Earnhardt left behind for those who followed him were the safety measures taken following the icon’s death a decade ago. After watching the rain delayed action at Watkins Glen on Monday morning, maybe two or three drivers remain with us because of the features since found in those cars. It sure in heck wasn’t about safety barriers this time.
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[/media-credit]Kurt Busch went sailing into the corner when a tire let go, and he found himself plowing into the tire cushioned wall. His day, at least his car’s day, was done but Busch wasn’t. A short time later, Denny Hamlin suffered the same problem and the same fate. If anything, Hamlin’s experience hit even harder as the fender met the fence at a spot where it had a concrete support behind it.
On the final lap, David Ragan got a nudge from Boris Said and he met the wall, 100% unprotected concrete, and glanced off it on the driver’s side to smack into the barrier on the other side of the track. In doing so, he clipped David Reutimann who took it hard on his driver’s side before flipping into the air and across the track to nail the wall on the outside. Four cars, nothing but junk, but four drivers who will be ready to roll next week at Michigan.
Marcos Ambrose has been rolling on NASCAR tracks since 2006 when he arrived as a champion driver from New Zealand. He won three times in Nationwide events, but Monday’s Cup win on the road course marks a high water mark. It was his first win in the series, and a fourth Top Five this season to go with those at Las Vegas, Dover, and the road adventure at Sonoma. Ambrose remains a point out of the Top Twenty but, regardless, still would need another victory to have any chance at a Chase place.
With just Michigan, Bristol, Atlanta, and Richmond left before the twelve Chase positions are finalized, Brad Keselowski finished second. Those two wins still has him laying claim to the first wild card berth. Kyle Busch led most of the way until the final few laps and wound up third, tied with Carl Edwards for the points lead. Clint Bowyer was 11th at the Glen, remains 11th in the standings, winless and outside the Chase, with 25 points separating him and the man in tenth, Tony Stewart.
Denny Hamlin’s wreck left him 36th on Monday, 33 points out of the over-all Top Ten, with a 27 point lead over Paul Menard for the final wild card entry. That is good, as long as Bowyer does not win on Sunday at Michigan, or Menard or Ambrose, something none of them has yet done. Hamlin, on the other hand, has claimed the June race both this year and last. Things could be looking up for the Pied Piper. Enjoy the week!
Um Ron congratulations on a headline that made me visit your page, but please try and get your facts right when trying to support such a headline.
Ragan did not collide with 100% unprotected concrete, but actually 100% unprotected steel guardrail. The same for Reutimann who hit guardrail, not wall. I’m not sure what point you’re trying to make, but ‘safer’ barrier would still have resulted in your 4 example cars being wrecked.
But your biggest mistake was yet to come. While ‘down under’ could possibly be used to describe New Zealand, Marcos Ambrose is actually from Australia. That’s a pretty big error on your part and shows a real lack of knowledge on the subject matter. Perhaps you don’t operate well on Mondays or something.
Ron,
If Marcos is from New Zealand might I suggest that for the sake of your children, let your wife program the GPS on your next trip.
Tasmania is the small island below the really big island to the west of New Zealand. It’s called Australia.
Marcos actually comes from Launceston, Tasmania, Australia. That is why the nickname the “Tassie Devil”