So, what did we learn at Bristol?
Well, we learned that sometimes it is a place where, using the term coined by Brad Keselowski, a-holes always win. At least that was the case last weekend. Kyle Busch won the Camping World truck event, the Nationwide event (after purposely turning ole Brad around), and then ran off with the Sprint Cup contest Saturday night. Whether you love him or hate him, you can’t beat his driving. Same was once said about his brother Kurt, at least until Jimmy Spencer beat on him.
We learned that the snake keeps on coming back and biting Jimmie Johnson again, and again, and again. This time the ole serpent looked like Juan Pablo Montoya, who turned just a bit left to turn Johnson just a bit into the wall. While the champ wound up wounded in 35th, he is a sure thing to make the Chase and currently leads those standings with Denny Hamlin. Not quite time for the alligator tears just yet.
We learned that it is a good thing the championship is determined the way it is for both those boys. The Pied Piper got beat up his own self, finishing just a place ahead of Johnson. Then again, the next two races it is all about chasing wins and fine tuning for those boys, with eleven positions pretty much determined and two more pre-Chase events remaining. .
We learned that the 12th place in the Chase should go to Clint Bowyer, barring some form of disaster. After Bristol, he is 100 points up on Jamie McMurray and 101 ahead of Mark Martin. Mind you, Bowyer can still be caught. He also can still be abducted by aliens and even changed into a girl, but I would say the odds are a bit long.
We learned that the two cars entered by Phil Parson’s PRISM Motorsports finished 42nd and 43rd. Michael McDowell lasted 16 of the 500 laps before engine problems sat him out. Scott Riggs went 32 until his transmission gave up the ghost. Ole Phil has been listed as the owner of 68 entries since the start of last season. His best finish? That would be the 24th place finish by Terry Labonte in their first attempt, the 2009 Daytona 500. How many times have they finished 40th or worse? That would be 59 times, but who’s counting?
We learned that ABC/ESPN can actually put on an entertaining show. Sending that mad man Kenny Wallace down to talk to the drivers in the garage prior to the race was good television. Having Dale Jarrett give his thoughts on how to deal with Kyle Busch, like knocking on his motorhome door and punching him in the nose, was very insightful…and funny. Having Rusty, Brad, and Nicole allow us the time to hit the kitchen or the bathroom without missing anything worth listening allows us to keep refreshed. It is all good.
This weekend we have off. The Nationwide folks are in Montreal on Sunday, while Chicago greets the Camping World truckers Saturday night. After nearly 40 games and countless practices, the baseball season has finally come to a close for our two young lads. With nowhere to go, it is going to be a nice, relaxing stay at home weekend for us. I hope you enjoy yours.
