of driving talent that I found myself rooting him on. He didn’t disappoint. Ron Hornaday’s Chevy seemed like the only Truck capable of keeping up but failed at the end due to Rowdy having fresher tires. Crew chief Wauters made a brave call in bringing Rowdy in from second place to take on a set of four new tires. There were only nine trucks on the lead lap and, as we saw, they weren’t capable of holding off this hard charging, racing fool. I’m sure a few of the Truck regulars have another opinion but, let’s face it, he was fun to watch. The saddest part of the race was all those trucks running solid paint jobs with no sponsors visible.
Earlier in the evening Jeff Gordon proved he might be down but not out by taking the pole position. Junior held down the second starting spot with Truex, Jr. a strong third. Cousin Carl took fourth while Bobby Labonte surprised in fifth. Rowdy Busch rounded out the top five. Jimmie Johnson had a mild rebound from Lost Wages by taking eleventh in the field. Tony The Terrible was terrible back in thirty second. Kyle Petty, starting fortieth, continues to show he is strictly a back marker and that’s a shame for the once proud Petty Enterprises. Robby Gordon, fresh from his Based on the Truck race and the CUP driver’s complaints about the tires I’m not expecting the usual great racing Hotlanta is noted for. The track itself is worn, bumpy and fast and could turn into a wreck fest. Let’s see if I’m right.
[Over in the media center Jack Roush is calling Toyota’s Lee White an ankle biting Chihuahua after White had called him a liar and cheater. White used to work for Roush so maybe he knows something we don’t. What happened to the one big family atmosphere that is supposed to prevail in the NA$CAR garage?]
The Cup Lite field has fifteen Claims Jumpers and only forty three cars are entered. What would we see for a starting field without the Jumpers? Saturday’s 9AM qualifying was supposed to give us a starting lineup. I turn on my TV to SPEED and what do I see? SNOW. Meanwhile, the Iditarod is running up in Alaska. They are in a white out situation that, to me, calls for a schedule realignment. This is absolutely ridiculous and brings back memories of Rockingham and it’s eventual demise from the schedule. As it were, the field was set by points and since there were only forty three cars entered, no one had to load up and go home.
The Cup Lite race started with Rowdy taking the lead on the first lap. As the race developed it appeared no one could touch him. That 20 car really has something going for it under the hood. Sadly, for Rowdy, the apparent win was not to be as a blown tire took him out of contention and left him finishing twenty fourth. He led 153 laps but couldn’t get to the pay window on the final lap. Matt Kenseth took the win with Kevin Havock second. Rowdy’s hopes of leaving Atlanta with the points lead in all three series went by the wayside as Havock takes over first with Rowdy back to fourth. We saw a lot of side by side racing back in the pack but Rowdy ran away from the field until his right front blew. Eric McClure had the honor of being involved in the most dramatic crash of the day for the second year in a row. Brad Keselowski was the highest finishing Nationwide driver in my Navy car, finishing sixth. Again, there were too many cars running with Plain Jane paint jobs and this doesn’t bode well for the series.
During (un)Happy Hour Saturday Tony StewPot was interviewed and he hammered the BadYear tires and seems to think the CUP race will be treacherous. If race leader Rowdy’s blown right front Saturday is any indication, the hot drivers will have to lay back on hard charging or else. Let’s see what develops. The first development was the report that Rowdy’s tire problem was a failed shock mount, not the tire.
The green flag fell and Junior Charged into the lead for a few laps but it wasn’t to last long as Rowdy got rolling and charged into the lead. At one point it appeared that Rowdy or Junior had the cars to beat. At various stages of the race Jeff Gordon and Cousin Carl showed strength but fell back. As the race drew down it appeared Edward’s crew had made the right calls and he was the one to beat but an undefined engine problem sidelined him on lap 270 and Rowdy sailed on for the win. Smoke was second with Junior third, Baffled fourth and Jeff “Big Daddy” Gordon fifth. Somehow, Jeff’s trim figure just doesn’t inspire that vision. We didn’t see the usual side by side finish Hotlanta is noted for. I’m sure some will blame The CAR and others the tires. My observation is the track in in desperate need of new pavement even though many drivers like the aged surface. It confuses me as to how an abrasive track can also be slick.
I know I’ll probably tick some of the faithful off but it’s time for the Pigtail to put a driver in the seat. He started fortieth and immediately fell to forty third. The only reason he finished forty first is Edwards engine and Sadler’s third spin of the day wrecking him out. I would be ashamed to put on a driver’s suit and run a whole race to have such a terrible showing for my team, my dad, my fans and my sponsor. Of course the King’s final years in the driver’s seat were very much the same. Time to go Kyle.
Terrible Tony just can’t help himself. After
rallying to second place finish all he could do
was complain about the BadYear tires. Since
other drivers had complaints about the tire I can
only assume he has a good point but I’m not
sure he chose the right time to air his bad
feelings. I find it ironic that Junior is the only
Hendrick car in the top ten in points. Chad
Knaus appears to have lost his magic touch with
JJ’s setup and Casey Mears just can’t seem to
get on track. While Hendick hasn’t risen to last
years dominance it appears that the Roush
Fords are caught up and JGR’s Toys are going
to be in the hunt. The RCR Chevies seem to be
competitive but not yet dominant. So far the season has shown that the Toy/Rowdy combination are a dominant force. It’s good that Junior is competitive or Rick Hendrick might be having sleepless nights.
As you all know, I’m not a fan of the Toys but I can’t deny the raw talent of Rowdy Busch. Congratulations on an outstanding weekend of performances in all three series. I’m finding it hard to turn off my loyalty to JGR and their drivers. I abhor their switch to the Toys but, regardless of the switch, they have on their game face. If the JGR Toys become dominant, just as with the Roush Fords, yours truly will reevaluate his position.
As always, this is my opinion based on my observations and preferences. You may disagree but not be disagreeable.
May God bless you and yours, our great nation, all who serve to protect and defend and all victims of terrorism. I pray you never forget the horror of 911 and the senseless deaths of three thousand innocents whose only crime was showing up for work.
Never forget: We Are the Land of The FREE Because of The BRAVE.
Mom, Apple Pie, John Wayne and NASCAR Racing, now that’s America.
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