Congratulations to Kyle Busch on his win in yesterday’s Nationwide Series Race at Phoenix. KyBu hasn’t won a Nationwide race in 24 races, so it was good to see him in victory lane. Of course since he led 142 of 200 laps he kinda stunk up the show. He had a slow pit stop and a pass through penalty, started at the back and still drove up through the field to re-take the lead. Masterful performance.
Myers says it’s an overcast day in the desert. Looked cloudy to me. I’m just saying. There’s a lot of attention on the Bowyer – Gordon affair last year at Phoenix and how it will affect today. Seriously! That’s history. I can’t imagine Clint’s owner or sponsors will look well on his getting obvious revenge. Now with Michael Waltrip sitting on the desk as they’re going back through all this its icky. Michael’s obvious ties/responsibilities make him a person who should recuse himself on any discussion of this issue. Also, I heard this morning that Roger Penske built California Speedway (Autozone Speedway). Hearing that really put a new face on them and their second race. Seems to explain a lot of things.
And then there was a piece in which they were asking fans at the race if they were afraid after last week’s wreck and injuries to fans in the grandstands. HOW MORONIC! If they were afraid they wouldn’t be there. It felt like they were trying to prove the fans were safe by showing that the fans weren’t afraid – as if that’s relevant. If you would’ve asked the people currently (and recently) recovering in the hospital if they thought there were safe, if they were afraid, before Saturday’s race the answer would’ve been the same. The parts flying over the fence were unpredictable and unexpected, therefore no one feared it before it happened. Since it was such a strange, seemingly singular, occurrence, no one fears a repeat of it. Of course if you would’ve asked anyone who worked in the World Trade Centers or the Pentagon in August 2001 if they feared someone flying a plane into their building they also would’ve responded negatively and thought the question
strange and unlikely.
Partly cloudy has become mostly cloudy according to Mike Joy. He felt a raindrop while he was standing on the roof. KyBu is going to the back having changed valve-springs as did Denny Hamlin. KuBu is in a backup car so he’s gone to the back as has Stremme who changed a transmission.
Mark Martin has the pole for the race with Kasey Kahne outside pole.
Ricky Stenhouse has been in the fence on lap 2 but we stay green. DW called it lightly and slightly.
Caution on lap 22 Scott Riggs blew a tire and hit the wall.
Caution is out on lap 48. Kyle Busch hits the outside wall. He got slightly out of the outside groove and the back end came around on him. Bowyer’s car hits a crewman and Travis Kvapil’s car. He’s going to start at the back of the lead lap in 35th. Martin Truex Jr’s car is stuck on pit road having rear axle issues causing the restart to be called off.
Travis has left front damage. Truex has taken his car to the garage. Bowyer has right side damage.
Restart on lap 55. Kasey won the race off pit road. About a dozen cars didn’t pit on this caution.
Caution is out on lap 65 Dave Blaney has hit the wall hard in turn one. Looks like Stremme got into the back of Blaney causing him to spin (battle of the Davids). Mark Martin gets the free pass. It appears there was a problem with the yoke near the rear wheel on Truex’s car. It was away. They changed right side tires on Mark Martin’s car and verified they were spinning properly, so that was probably verifying his car wasn’t having the same issue as Truex’s.
Juan Pablo Montoya had just taken the lead from Biffle just before the caution, so JPM will lead them to the green.
Biffle takes the lead, then Aric Afterburner passes JPM. Kasey Kahne is making his way forward, having reached the fourth position behind Kevin Harvick
Caution is out on lap 98 for Ryan Newman hitting the wall in turn 4 putting down debris. Heavy damage to the right front of the car.
Newman melted a bead which caused the right tire to go down sending him into the wall. Carl Edwards won the race off pit road, but Mark Martin stayed out and gained the lead. 35 cars on the lead lap as they are back underway. Joseph got the free pass for the second time today to get back on the lead lap.
According to the MRN guys Mark Martin cut down a tire and that’s what put him on pit road earlier.
KyBu is still in a lap down in 36th. On lap 127 Bradley K passes Mark Martin for the lead.
Caution is out on lap 141 Newman is into the wall again. Looks like the right side went down again. Newman hopped out of the car, ran across the track & across pit road & hopped behind the wall before the safety truck got to him. Carl wins the race off pit road just ahead of Jimmie. Chadley is reported to have told Jimmie to keep it away from the wall.
Caution is out on lap 184 for Danica hitting the turn four wall – hard. She lost the tire and hit the wall. David Ragan was collected. Track workers are checking out the wall for damage. David Ragan was racing her for 26th and his car ran over the left side of her car and he has a lot of right side damage.
Daytona is doing her interview wearing sunglasses after coming out of the infield car center. She seems a bit addled. I would imagine if her head isn’t pounding it soon will be. She’s thinking of getting her car into the garage area instead of in the dirt. There aren’t enough garage stalls at this track and the stalls are assigned by points.
Dale Jr wins the race off pit road and leads them to the green flag. He takes a pretty commanding lead. Jimmie battles Carl hard to take second place.
Caution is out lap 237 for a right front down for David Gilliland. KyBu gets the free pass to finally get on the lead lap!
Carl wins the race off pit road followed by Dale Jr and Jimmie.
Dale Jr hit Casey Mears coming out of his pit stall. Dale Jr spun the tires on the restart. Carl Edwards streaks away. Jimmie takes second. Kasey kissed the wall, but we stay green as he continues. Kurt got loose and hit the wall, and KyBu hits the wall immediately after him, but both continue. Looked like Kyle was trying to get slowed down thinking Kurt was going to come back down in front of him causing him (Kyle) to get into the wall also.
Jimmie & Dale Jr cannot make the distance on gas. KHarv is maybe. JPM & Kasey Kahne can make it on gas. Carl is 3 laps to the good. Jeff Gordon’s crew chief isn’t telling. Matt Kenseth & Tony Stewart says they’re close. Clint Bowyer says they’re good. 47 laps remain.
Some teams don’t think the 99 crew got the car full of gas, but the gas man was nodding his head that Carl was good to go.
Chad told Jimmie the 99 might have to start saving which might be an opportunity. Carl is no longer charging ahead like he had been. Jimmie and Keslowski are closer to him now.
Mike Joy says he won’t say BK is strutting around the race track, but he will say he has the confidence of a champion. In other words he’s strutting around.
KHarv says his car is very free the entire corner. He’s getting passed.
Joey Logano has slowed. He’s off the pace with four laps to go. Joey is on the apron and is out of gas. Kenny Schrader has slapped the wall in turn 3. Caution is out with 3 laps to go. There are 22 cars on the lead lap.
Landon Cassill has slowed on the track and come to a stop as the 1 to go signal was given. The tow truck has finally arrived.
Brad pushes Carl on the restart giving him a great boost. Brad battles with Jimmie for second. Denny goes three wide around both of them in turn three. Jimmie and Denny are door-to-door heading toward the checkered flag. Carl wins handily and Jimmie beats Denny by inches after a little beating and banging.
Dale Jr is totally bummed because he thinks he could’ve won. All of the drivers are complaining about the difficulty with passing. Denny says the teams can’t get aero right. He also said they could’ve run on one set of left tires without a problem. He said the cars drive like the gen 5 cars when they first came out. He said they have a long way to go with this car. He was rather bummed too. He was reluctant to say that the car doesn’t drive as well as the Gen 5 car, but he was too bummed not to say it. Jimmie said he wasn’t sure that Carl followed restart procedure and slowed them up coming to the green flag.
Congratulations Carl Edwards for breaking the streak. Carl last won a race on March 6, 2011.