CONGRATULATIONS to Darrell Wallace Jr. on winning his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Race driving the Kyle Busch Motorsports #54 Toyota Tundra!!!
The race was entertaining. Goodyear has brought a compound that’s causing massive tire wear. Also, the temperature has dropped over the past few days – massive arctic blast moved across the eastern portion of the country – and between the tires and the cold, the track isn’t taking rubber.
The Sprint Cup teams have practiced, as have the Trucks and the track hasn’t rubbered up. It made for eventful racing – lots of spins.
The big deal, other than Bubba’s win, was the wreck between Kevin Harvick, Ty Dillon and Matt Crafton. Happy, Ty and Matt were racing for second, third, and fourth positions. Ty tried to dive inside KHarv who blocked him, then checked up. Crafton was following closely behind Ty and ran into the back of him pushing him into Harvick spinning them all. Harvick began door-checking Ty once they got untangled and after bumping back and forth they headed for pit road. Happy stopped in Ty’s pit stall. Ty’s crew went nuts as Ty was sitting there waiting for Kevin to move. By the time he moved Ty had gone back onto the track. Harvick drove around to the garage. Once out of the car he gave an interview where the said “… exactly the reason why I’m leaving RCR, because you got those kids coming up and they got no respect for, uh, what they do in this sport and they’ve had everything fed to em with a spoon, so, uh, …it’s a shame you gotta get taken out by some rich kid like that…” He said that on tv, on camera. Yes it was the heat of the moment, but come on! Everybody knows its true. As hard as people try to sell those Dillons to us, we can see the product and know it’s not as advertised! Thank you Kevin Harvick for speaking the truth!
Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, the drama of it all!
Apparently KHarv apologized for his comments. I’ll have to find out exactly what he said. I figured he’d have to apo
Junior Johnson gives the command!!! WooooHooooo!!! Nice way to start a race. A band playing the National Anthem instead of a bad vocal rendition was also a positive.
Race started off well. Carl Edwards did a Ty Dillon and spun Jeff Burton to bring out the first caution. And now the second caution he spun out Travis Kvapil in the same way. Edwards is a menace in turn three today!
David Reutimann spins on lap 140 with a little assist from Bobby Labonte to bring out the third caution.
Kyle Larson blowed up to bring out the fourth caution flag on lap 166 of 500.
Sizeable mash up including Denny Hamlin, Kasey Kahne, Martin Truex Jr, Aric (Afterburner) Almirola and the 32 of Kenny Schrader brings out the caution on lap 182.
Caution is out on lap 204 of 500 for a spin by Kurt Busch who was trying to force the inside on Jamie McMurray. He was hit by Mark Martin, who had nowhere to go, after he spun.
Caution is out on lap 237 of 500 for David Reutimann going around again after contact from Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Several additional cautions follow for spins mostly. The teams got on varying pit strategies which continually shuffled the lead throughout the race. Eventually Kenseth worked his way back into the lead and stunk up the show for a while.
Jeff Gordon Wins!!! And celebrated with a little drifting exhibition.
Kenseth finished second after leading the most laps. Jimmie finished fifth. There’s now a tie in the points championship.
In NASCAR news this week:
- Former NASCAR owner and film stuntman Hal Needham is dead.
- Baseline concussion testing in drivers’ future mandated by NASCAR.
- Todd Parrott fired from RPM following his suspension for violating NASCAR’s substance abuse policy.
- The National Guard will continue to sponsor Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 2014.
- Trucks will not run Rockingham in 2014.
- 2014 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule released.
- Qualifying changes my be in NASCAR Sprint Cup future.
- Corey LaJoie on indefinite probation after tweet.
- Childress defends putting his grandsons in race cars.
- Harvick apologizes on Race Day this morning. NASCAR’s investigation into the incident continues.
- Vickers reveals source of blood clot.
- Wendell Scott’s sons join Darrell Wallace Jr. at Martinsville.
- Darrell Wallace Jr. wins his first NASCAR Truck Series Race becoming the second African American driver to win in NASCAR’s top series.
- Federal lawsuit dismissed against Jennifer Jo Cobb.
- Keselowski has another opinion.