Rating The Races : Part I
Matt McLaughlin
Editor’s Note: With the 2007 Nextel Cup season complete, it’s now time to take a look back. This week, veteran writer Matt McLaughlin starts the process with his annual race review, analyzing each event of the Nextel Cup season and giving us his take on how good – or bad – they really were.
Today marks part one of the four-part series. Enjoy!
The Daytona 500
I’ve got to say two things up front. I don’t like plate racing – it’s contrived excitement, in my opinion – and I didn’t care for the three o’clock starting time of this year’s race. God and Bill France, Sr. intended the 500 to start at one in the afternoon – no later. As for the race itself, things were tepid for most of the afternoon. Tony Stewart had a dominant car all of Speedweeks, and he looked poised to win the 500 with ease. But a speeding penalty on pit road (or a penalty for stinking up the show, Stewart contended later) got him irate, and he self-destructed in the form of a devastating wreck. Kurt Busch, in another fast car, was a victim of Stewart’s implosion.
With that turn of events, a race broke out; what can be said about that last few laps other than it would have made a fine opening scene for Days of Thunder 2007? As Kevin Harvick and Mark Martin drag raced towards the checkers side-by-side, mechanical mayhem was erupting behind them as Kyle Busch got out of shape and set off a field-decimating accident. Caught up in the wreck, Clint Bowyer got the worst of it; he wound up crossing the start finish line upside down and on fire. That chaos caused Martin to hesitate just a bit, expecting a caution that never came and opening the door for Harvick – he prevailed by inches over Martin to win. With NASCAR slow to throw the final yellow flag and rules uncertain as to when the racing actually ended and the caution began, I still feel Martin won this race. Rating: B-
Fontana
Most fans don’t tune into Fontana expecting much action. This year, they got all that and less at what is quickly becoming the most putrid track on the circuit. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, and Matt Kenseth were the class of the field in a race that came down to the men on pit road. Kenseth’s crew got their boy out of the pits first late, while Johnson’s crew faltered and dropped their boy from contention. Kevin Harvick seemed poised to make a run at the No. 17 but had a tire equalize, handing the uncontested win to Kenseth. Rating: D
Las Vegas
Questions abounded as the circuit headed off to the newly reconfigured Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Among them: Why did the Cup circuit take a week off after just two events? Would the newly configured track at Vegas provide better racing? And – perhaps most important of all – would the new Goodyears stand up to the speed? Well, as for the track I think it’s like a newlywed’s stew; give it a little seasoning, and it ought to be much better.
The race turned out to be a Hendrick parade; Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon combined to lead 200 laps on their way to a 1-2 finish. It was not to be their last such finish of the season. In retrospect, the Las Vegas race was a foreshadowing of this year’s championship; Jeff Gordon led more laps than Johnson, but Johnson led the ones that counted. Rating: C
Atlanta
The Atlanta Spring race didn’t live up to the normally stellar standards of the track, but at least things did get interesting at the end. Tony Stewart was leading, but Jimmie Johnson in second clearly had the faster car and was gaining fast. A battle ensued, as Johnson was of the mind to pass Stewart … but Stewart was not in the mind to be passed. It all came to a head with three laps to go. Johnson made a three-wide power move inside of the No. 20; Stewart drove into the corner for all he was worth to hold the No. 48 but slid up into the wall, forced to fall behind. Johnson went on to win the race, his second in a row. Little did we know that finish was destined to happen a few more times this year, as well. Rating: B-
Bristol
The Bristol spring race featured the equally anticipated and feared debut of the Car of Tomorrow in a points-paying Cup event. Even jaded fans who had seen pictures were aghast at the site of the ugly little brutes lined up nose-to-nose in numbers prior to the start of the race.
Gibbs teammates Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin dominated the early stages of the event, before mechanical issues felled them both. Stewart fell victim to a broken fuel pump drive cable, while Hamlin had an engine lay down late. That left Kyle Busch in the lead, but Jeff Burton was close behind. Everyone expected Burton to lay a bumper to Busch to make the pass – this is Bristol, baby! – but Burton ran Busch clean, allowing the kid to take home the trophy instead. As for the race winner’s take on the Car of Tomorrow? “I’m still not a big fan of these things. I can’t stand driving them. They suck.” Succinctly put, sir. Rating: B
Martinsville
Some hoped that a race’s worth of familiarity would make the CoT look more normal, or at least less ghastly. Nope – the cars were still so ugly you’d have had to tie a pork chop to the rear wing in order to get a starving dog to relieve itself on one.
Once again, the Gibbs cars looked strong early. So did Kevin Harvick’s Chevy … but it turned out were some design flaws to the new rides. First, Harvick broke a fuel pump drive cable just as Stewart had at Martinsville. Then, the 29 car set itself ablaze when heat from the exhaust system set the mandated impact absorbing foam inside the car on fire. Whoops; so let me get this straight? NASCAR took five years to design and test a new car, yet they failed to find it had a propensity to set itself ablaze?
But in the end, despite the problems Martinsville provided the sort of dramatic finish this classic track often does. Teammates Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon raced hammer and tongs against one another, making contact several times with smoke billowing off their tires – though fortunately, not out of their doors. It was to be the best finish of the season in this humble writer’s opinion, and again, a foretaste of things to come. Rating: A- The minus is just because the cars were so painfully ugly.
Texas
Johnson and Gordon were once again forces to be reckoned with, but they both fell off the pace this week because of crashes. In Johnson’s case, the incident was unavoidable; in Gordon’s case, the error was unforced.
That left other title contenders to battle up front. As badly as Matt Kenseth had been running early in the race, you’d have thought the only running he’d do late in the race would be after his crew chief with a hammer to beat him. Instead, Kenseth found himself in a heated battle with Jeff Burton. The two raced hard but clean, and in the end, Burton was able to hold off Kenseth to take the checkers.
In an odd twist, Kyle Busch ran over Dale Earnhardt’s contending Chevy after a caution flew, and both cars were wrecked. Busch stormed away from the track as a result, even though the 5 team was able to repair the car. That left Junior, of all people, to hop aboard the No. 5 car to finish the race – again, that appears significant only in retrospect. Rating: B+
Phoenix
A pattern was being set at the Car of Tomorrow races. The Joe Gibbs Chevys started the races strong … and the Hendrick Chevys finished them stronger.
Denny Hamlin dominated this race early, only to have his campaign felled by a pit road speeding penalty. (Or another one of those, “Don’t stink up the race!” penalities?) That left Tony Stewart with the lead … but Jeff Gordon wanted it. Eventually, Gordon put a bumper to the No. 20 car to make what was ultimately the winning pass on Joe Gibbs Racing … again. Mr. Stewart was miffed after the race and declined comment to the press; Mr. Hamlin looked dejected. But there was no denying the dominance; it was three for three as far as the Hendrick cars and CoT races. Other teams were left scratching their heads wondering how to catch up to the fleet foursome from HMS. By the end of the season some of them were probably considering rocket-propelled grenades. Rating: C-
Talladega
Welcome to the ugly reality of restrictor plate racing; most drivers were content to fly in formation for most of the race to avoid wrecking their cars and potentially life-threatening injuries. Normal action did begin to heat up late, though. A green/white/checkered flag at a plate track is the equivalent of throwing a stick of dynamite into the cesspool and ducking for cover. Jeff Gordon still had the lead when David Ragan was kind enough to wreck to see to it the race ended under caution. Of course, when it came to wrecking, Ragan was one of the kindest guys on the circuit this season.
The win moved Gordon past the late, great Dale Earnhardt for total victories on what would have been the Intimidator’s birthday. The race ended under caution to hand Gordon the win; but that didn’t sit well with the highly partisan Talladega crowd, who pelted the No. 24 was with a fusillade of beer cans. Rating: D
frontstretch.com
Rating The Races : Part II
Matt McLaughlin
Today marks Part Two of the Four-Part series. For Part One, please click here to read. Enjoy!
Richmond
Rainy weather pushed the planned Saturday evening race off to Sunday afternoon. Rain seemed to plague a lot of races this season; and while it sucks, the weather is like Brian France being stupid: there’s not much you can do about either. Brian’s stupid new cars were back at Richmond, too; can you guess which team won?
Unlike Richmond races with the old cars, there wasn’t a lot of side-by-side racing in this edition of the Spring classic. On a late restart, Jimmie Johnson was able to muscle his way past teammate Kyle Busch to take the win. Hendrick Motorsports was now four for four in CoT races, and had won seven of the last eight events at this juncture in the year. Rating: D+
Darlington
It pained me to see what the “New Car” did to racing at the most storied speedway on the circuit. Not that what NASCAR did to the track was any great shakes, either. I mean, everyone had to know when NASCAR moved Darlington’s only remaining race date to the night before Mother’s Day, eventually rain would force the race to be run on Mother’s Day itself – and that’s what happened this year.
Passing was at a premium at the egg-shaped oval; but in the end, a Hendrick car found itself leading late. It was Jeff Gordon taking control of the race; but this time, there was a twist. It was clear the mill under the hood of the No. 24 car was blowing up, and Gordon’s mount was spewing steam in those final few laps. Denny Hamlin tried his best to run down the ailing leader, but the race ran out of laps before Gordon ran out of water. Rating: C
Charlotte
Apparently, a lot of drivers didn’t get the memo this was a 600-mile race. There were a flurry of accidents early in the event that eliminated or hobbled a lot of the favorites, and because of the way cautions fell, the end of the race came down to fuel mileage. A lot of us were expecting NASCAR to throw a bogus debris caution to allow the favorites still running a chance at the win, but – perhaps stung by Tony Stewart’s comments earlier in the year – they let the race finish under green.
With the best cars forced to pit, Casey Mears coasted across the line on fumes to claim his first Cup victory – and yet another trophy for Rick Hendrick. In addition to Mears, the Top 5 finishers included J.J. Yeley, Kyle Petty, Reed Sorenson, and Brian Vickers. Even Alice’s White Rabbit would have found that final running order confusing. Rating: B-
(It wasn’t pretty, but it was legitimate)
Dover
Rain once again interfered with the running of a Cup race; the Dover race was pushed off until Monday by the sort of storms that are part and parcel of life here in the Northeast in June.
There was some ugliness during the race after Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch once again wrecked one another. Busch was so angry he drove into the side of the No. 20 car on pit road, nearly running over a member of Stewart’s team. Busch was parked for the rest of the afternoon, but not suspended by NASCAR for the infraction.
Late in the race, Martin Truex, Jr. emerged as the surprise leader with Ryan Newman and Jimmie Johnson preparing to battle with him. Instead, Newman and Johnson got too intent on battling one another as Truex drove off into the sunset. Johnson cut down a tire late and fell to fifteenth in the final running order, marking the beginning of his annual summer slump a few weeks early. For Truex, it was his first-ever Cup victory, along with the first time any non-Hendrick driver had won a CoT race. Rating: C-
Pocono
Once again, a Cup race started under threatening skies. Jeff Gordon and the No. 24 team decided not to come down pit road – betting on the rain arriving in time – while Ryan Newman and the No. 12 team decided that fresh rubber on their Dodge would allow him to overhaul the leaders before the downpour. The gamble by Newman’s team didn’t miss by much; he was reeling Gordon in lap after lap, and the No. 24 car was nearly out of gas. Of course, that’s when the rains arrived – ending the race shortly after the halfway point. Rating: D
Michigan
The Michigan race itself was almost lost in the tidal wave of hype after that week’s announcement Dale Earnhardt, Jr. would be moving on to Hendrick Motorsports for the 2008 season. Wanting to grab back some headlines, NASCAR had also managed to make themselves look like a bunch of bumbling bullies by announcing plans to sue AT & T for $100,000,000 dollars for contesting the sanctioning body’s right to tell them they couldn’t run their decals on the No. 31 car.
As for the race itself, it appeared the drivers decided amongst themselves to get it over with as quickly as possible, with nothing distracting like passing for the lead to keep fans in the stands from being able to continue debating the pros and cons of Earnhardt’s career decision – whether it was a good thing or a sign of the upcoming Apocalypse.
As the parade droned on, Carl Edwards won the race going away after Martin Truex, Jr. slapped the wall trying to bear down on him. Rating: D
Sonoma
Once again, the Cup scene returned to a road course for a display every bit as unseemly as trying to autocross trash trucks.
When Juan Pablo Montoya signed with the No. 42 team, you knew Chip Ganassi circled the dates of the two road course races in red, knowing his driver would be a threat to win at each of them. The Colombian did not disappoint – he took the field to school in an almost humiliating manner, as about the only drama was waiting to see if Montoya would run out of gas in the waning laps. Radio traffic between he and his pit crew seemed to indicate that was imminent; but apparently, they knew other teams were scanning their frequency, and they were simply playing possum. Rating: D
New Hampshire
Several drivers took their turns at the front of the field early at NHIS. Dave Blaney led thirty laps before Jeff Gordon took control. Then, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. dominated the middle stages of the race before fading. But as the race wound down, a late gamble by the No. 11 team to put two tires on the car when most teams took four allowed Denny Hamlin to win his first event of the 2007 season. As many wins as this team cost their driver on pit road, eventually you figured they had to hand Hamlin one, too. Rating: C
Pepsi 400
I’ll be honest with you all – I missed this race. It was the first time I’ve missed a race in its entirety since February 18th, 1989. That day, my best friend was killed in a traffic accident; in the early morning hours before this year’s Pepsi 400, my Mom passed away after a lingering illness. My family needed me to be there on that sorrowful day. Of course, by race time we were gathered back at Mom’s house, and I thought briefly maybe I’d turn the race on in the background with the sound muted to see what was going on. Old habits die hard. But it was a tough day, and I decided, “Screw it,” for my sisters needed me more than I needed to know who won the race. Of course, I saw the highlights afterwards – Jamie McMurray edged out Kyle Busch by .005 seconds. It looked like a great race, but I have no regrets I missed it.
It’s a matter of priorities – a long overdue, painful, but necessary reminder that in the grand scheme of life, stock car racing doesn’t really mean all that much. I needed that.
frontstretch.com
Pretty harsh. I only saw one A grade???
I gotta disagree with this guy completely
Rating The Races : Part III
Matt McLaughlin
Today marks Part Three of the Four-Part series. For Part One, please click here to read … and when you’re done with that, click here for Part Two. Enjoy!
Joliet
It had to happen at long last in a season full of clunkers; NASCAR finally staged a race with utterly no redeeming social value, a stinkfest of such epic proportions it may have defined the very nadir of sports.
Did I mention I didn’t think it was a very good race?
As the afternoon wore on, somebody had to win this travesty – and Tony Stewart obliged. Matt Kenseth tried to keep Stewart honest late, but failed to come close after Jimmie Johnson’s flat tire took him out of contention, handing the win to the No. 20 car. To add to the fun, NASCAR officials told Stewart not to climb the fence after the race. I guess they were afraid the jangling of chain link would wake too many fans from their comatose naps on the way up.
Rating: F.
Brickyard 400
Isn’t it about time someone at NASCAR wakes up and realizes this whole Indianapolis experiment isn’t working? Stock cars just don’t have the grip in the flat corners that it takes to put on an exciting race.
Unfortunately, that fact was once again proven true, as this year’s event was marred by a lot of hard crashes. And for the second time in as many weeks, Jimmie Johnson had to climb out of a badly wrecked race car. At Indy, Johnson exited with notable haste – his car wound up going up in flames.
As for those who avoided the carnage, Kevin Harvick emerged to lead the race late – but as time wound down, his car started fading badly, with a fast-closing orange Chevy filling up his rear-view mirror. Anytime cars race at Indy – whether it be stockers or open wheelers – Tony Stewart wants to win, and this was no exception. After all, this is his home field – he grew up an Indiana native. Stewart wasn’t going to worry a whole lot about passing pretty as long as he got past the No. 29; muscling himself by, Harvick fell apart behind him, and a surprising Juan Pablo Montoya, who once won an Indy 500, emerged as the second place finisher. After the race, Harvick ran into the side of the No. 20 car. He said it was to congratulate Stewart – um, why don’t you try that one next time you’re in a fender bender, just tell the cops you were trying to congratulate the other driver. Stewart was thrilled to win the Brickyard, Harvick was angry he lost the race, and old Juan Pablo seemed about as nonplussed by his second place finish as he was to win the Indy 500 way back when.
Rating: D.
Pocono
Kurt Busch had this one pretty much in hand at the drop of the green flag. It wasn’t much fun on the eyes, but this happens sometimes in a legitimate sport – one team dominates so thoroughly that it’s almost painful to watch. Other teams had to gamble to try to steal the win from the No. 2 bunch; many of them took two tires late, while Busch and the 2 team played it safe with four. Thus, Busch had to pass nine cars to retake the lead on a late restart. It took him about ten laps to do so, after which he waved a jaunty farewell to the field and drove off into the sunset.
In what might have been the story of the race outside of Busch’s dominance, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started the race in a car so bad that a clearly enraged Earnhardt sounded like he was ready to park the thing and exit the track, if not the sport. In desperation, the team took the time to change shocks, and Earnhardt charged his way up to a second place finish. Occasionally, this kid can still drive a race car up to the standards of all the hype that surrounds him.
Rating: C.
Watkins Glen
It was clear from the outset that Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon had the dominant cars on this day. Stewart was leading the race when he charged too hard into turn one, skidding off track about halfway through the race. That seemed to seal the win for Gordon – but somebody forgot to tell Stewart that. He charged his way back to second and appeared destined to stay there when the unthinkable happened; Gordon, NASCAR’s most successful road course racer, also made an unforced error heading into turn one and lost it. That left Carl Edwards with the task of running down Stewart; but in the end, it wasn’t meant to be. Stewart won his sixth NASCAR Cup road course victory; and remember, this is a guy who cut his teeth driving sprint cars on dirt tracks.
In the weekend’s other big story, Martin Truex Jr. sent Juan Pablo Montoya spinning after Montoya chop blocked the No. 1 car. The incident sent Montoya’s Dodge into Kevin Harvick’s Chevy, which was then T-boned by Harvick’s teammate Jeff Burton. Apparently unaware that Montoya had been hit by Truex, Harvick got out of his car and went after Montoya. A shoving match ensued, and for a moment, it looked like a fist fight might break out. Of course, that didn’t happen; too bad, for it might have been interesting to watch.
Rating: C.
Michigan
Rainy weather once again screwed up a Cup weekend. In fact, the weather was so bad at Michigan, the race was postponed until Tuesday.
But no sort of delay whatsoever could slow down the Miller Lite Dodge. Much like Pocono, Busch just had the car, the will, and the strategy to get the job done; there was no stopping him. In fact, he led nearly half the race. Martin Truex, Jr. tried to keep Busch honest, but you could almost hear Kurt hollering, “Look Ma, no hands!” by those final few laps.
Rating: D.
Bristol
There were many unanswered questions going into this year’s Bristol Night Race. With a new track configuration, the new cars, and that same old hanging from the rafters crowd, what sort of race would they see?
At first, they saw a doozy. Two of fans’ biggest pet peeves this season were NASCAR’s officiating and the ESPN coverage of the races, and they combined into the perfect storm during Friday night’s Busch race. Kurt Busch was leading the event, and feigned as if he was going to enter the pits during a caution. He swerved back onto the track, and few drivers behind him were fooled; but the fools officiating the race decided Busch had violated the commitment cone. TV footage showed clearly he had not, and it wasn’t even a particularly close call. But in their eagerness to get the race restarted, NASCAR officials sent Busch to the back of the pack, even as ESPN footage clearly showed there had been no violation. Worse yet, in the waning laps, with two drivers running side-by-side, hell-bent to leather for the win ESPN’s video feed mysteriously died. Fans missed the end of a great race as a result.
Unfortunately, Saturday night’s attempt wasn’t as good. In fact, by the standards of Bristol it was downright sedate, Bristol Lite. Carl Edwards passed Kasey Kahne on lap 335 and drove off into the night, causing fans to howl in outrage. They’d been expecting bread and circuses, mechanical carnage, and furious drivers throwing crap at each other; what they got instead was a stock car race.
Rating: B.
Calif-boring-ya
There are very few things I know for certain in life. I will listen to others’ opinions, and modify my own if their points are logical. But I know this much to be true, as certain as I know the redemptive power of rock and roll, and that Harley Davidsons are the only motorcycles worth owning. I know that on Labor Day weekend, the Cup circuit ought to be racing at Darlington in an event called the Southern 500, held in the late summer heat. Cup racing separates the men from the boys; Darlington separates the heroes from the mortals. To run a Cup race anywhere else that weekend borders on blasphemy; unfortunately, NASCAR’s been doing it for four straight years now. “Modernized Tradition” my skinny white Irish ass.
C’mon Matt; calm down, have a beer, and take a deep breath. What’s done is done. It’s over.
Well, to quote Bluto from Animal House, “Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell, no! It’s not over until we say it’s over!”
Richmond
Richmond could have been the greatest stock car race ever, and those watching on TV would never have known. All ESPN wanted to talk about was the field being set for the CHASE. It was pretty much preordained who was in and who was out – barring mass space alien abductions of drivers – but they wanted to thump that drum until our ears bled anyways.
Fortunately, the racing wasn’t all that good. Jimmie Johnson had the field pretty well covered throughout, although there was some spirited battling behind him for Top 10 finishing spots.
Rating: C.
New Hampshire
All in a dream, all in a dream, the loading had begun, loading Mother Nature’s silver seed for a new home in the sun. Yes indeed, the all-singing, all-dancing, three ring circus that is the Chase kicked off. And what better place to launch this boffo, Rock ‘em – Sock ‘em battle to death Championship than New Hampshire International Speedway. Well, I dunno actually; perhaps a rutted quarter-mile dirt track in rural Montana under the cover of darkness would compare? At least then there’d have been some action.
In the meantime, Clint Bowyer might have been stung by criticism he didn’t belong in the Chase because he’d never even won a Cup race. Well, he responded pretty impressively; he didn’t just win at NHIS, he spanked the field. Hey, I love a first-time winner as much as anyone, but this race is neck and neck with Chicago as the worst event of the year.
Rating: F.
frontstretch.com
I think this dude needs another job. Way to rate all the races as shitty basically. What a tool
Rating The Races : Part IV
Editor’s Note: With the 2007 Nextel Cup season complete, it’s now time to take a look back. This week, veteran writer Matt McLaughlin winds up the process started last Monday with his annual race review, analyzing each event of the season and giving us his take on how good – or bad – they really were.
Today wraps up the Four-Part series. For Part One, please click here to read – when you’re done with that, click here for Part Two, then finish things off with a look at Part Three. Enjoy!
Dover
Remember when introducing the Car of Tomorrow concept, NASCAR said the new car would allow for more side-by-side racing and passing? Well, anyone watching this Fall’s Dover race knows the new car has failed to meet that design goal.
Typical of what’s getting to be the norm these days, there wasn’t much racing going on early. Around lap 335, NASCAR officials decided to spice things up by throwing a debris caution. About that time, the drivers decided it was finally time to race; and with passing at a premium, a slew of wrecks ensued. Carl Edwards and the No. 99 team elected to go with two fresh tires on their final stop, while the majority of the field elected to go with new rubber all the way around. Despite the advantage of four new tires, passing was at such a premium Greg Biffle could not find a way around his teammate Edwards to take the win. After the race, Edwards’ winning No. 99 car was found to be too low; but of course, he got to keep his trophy. You just can’t explain how that works to people not familiar with our sport. I usually sum it up like this: “NASCAR officials are morons.”
Rating: C.
Kansas
In a season full of bizarre races, this one takes the cake. With bad weather in the area, it seemed most teams and drivers decided they’d be lucky if this race got to the halfway point. In a refreshing change, there was actually some good racing early on in an event as most teams bet on bad weather. Tony Stewart was leading when the rains finally came, staying out on a fuel-mileage gamble and hoping the water would wash out the race. And oh, Lord, did it rain, in big overflowing soul-sucking buckets full that seemed to indicate that not only was this race over, but that Kansas was soon to become a Great Lake.
The question of whether Greg Biffle did – or didn’t – win Kansas cast a dark cloud over NASCAR officiating the last quarter of the season.
But the clouds parted, no twisters were sighted, and no houses fell on Brian France. Somehow, they got the track dried … and racing resumed. Well, actually it took awhile for the racing to get going – there was a lot of wrecking the drivers wanted to get out of the way first. One notable victim was Tony Stewart, who drove into the back of the No. 1 car on a restart. Just like that, the guy who had been poised to win the race if the rain had ended it wound up 39th. As a result, Tony Stewart’s 2007 title aspirations left Kansas in the back of a wheezing Greyhound bus, seated beside a dying cowboy with a graveyard cough.
As daylight declined, Mr. Juan Pablo Montoya had a hard encounter with the outside wall, which is backed by the whole state of Kansas – the wall won. Caution flew, and NASCAR officials decided rather than having the green/white/checkered finish fans expected, they’d end the race early because it was dark out. It was so dark Mike Helton needed a five cell flashlight just to find his ego – and that’s when it got really weird. Greg Biffle was leading the race, but his car was on fumes. Coming off the fourth corner, the No. 16 car sputtered and seemed to die, out of gas. Mr. Biffle’s version of events was that he’d cut off the engine to save gas for the burnouts … which nobody would have seen. Because it was dark out – and Mike Helton’s flashlight beam doesn’t reach that far. What we do know is Biffle pulled onto the grass, and several cars crossed the start/finish line before him – at which point, NASCAR decided that Biffle won the race despite not having kept up with the pace car.
Hmm. Perhaps Biffle couldn’t see the pace car because it was dark out? Or maybe he was just planning those burnouts and forgot he had to cross the Start/Finish line. Or maybe ol’ Greg just stole a win right before the disbelieving eyes of the fans on hand and at home.
Sometimes the lights all shining on me, other times I can barely see, lately it occurs to me, what a long strange trip it’s been.
Rating: F.
Talladega
Alice, pass the hookah, please? The bizarre just kept rolling along. At Talladega, the drivers who posted the ninth, tenth, and eleventh fastest speeds in qualifying had to go home because of the top 35 rule.
Come Sunday, Talladega was typical of a modern day restrictor plate race, as drivers tended to hang back and try to stay out of trouble until the final 15 laps. Some did so with considerably better success than others; for when it came time to race, it was as if someone had thrown an Ozark in the cesspool. Those cars that were left running after the “Big One” vied savagely for the lead. Jimmie Johnson had the front position, but Jeff Gordon knows a thing or two about plate racing. Dave Blaney gave the No. 24 a nice little push and Gordon swung out to pass the No. 48. What probably sealed the deal was Tony Stewart; trying to pass all three of those drivers, he inadvertently ran into the back of Gordon. As our late friend Benny Parsons might say, “Gordon looked like he’d been shot out of a canyon!” Gordon edged Johnson to the line by .066 seconds, while Johnson got second and Blaney third. Stewart slid back to eighth and did that scary walking around thing, muttering under his breath like a schizophrenic about to start using a McDonald’s as target practice. But most importantly, the fourth restrictor plate event of the year was over, and no drivers had been killed at Daytona or Talladega. That counts for something.
Rating: C.
Charlotte
Jimmie Johnson seemed to have this event in hand, just as he nearly always has things in hand at Charlotte. But his crew chief Chad Knaus was so certain that Johnson could pass anyone, he played his pit strategy conservative. That turned around and bit the No. 48 team, as Johnson was back in the pack when an incident put him into the wall. He salvaged a fourteenth place finish after what could have been a disaster – but his chances of winning were over.
Late in the race, Jeff Gordon emerged as the leader; but – at least according to team scanner traffic – he was desperately low on fuel. Clint Bowyer was positioned in second, looking for another win, but when Gordon bogged on the final restart, Bowyer ran into the back of the No. 24 car, propelling it forward rather than making the pass. D’oh. You’ve got to hate when that happens.
Rating: C.
Martinsville
Beating and banging and caution flags are part and parcel of Martinsville. But the new cars were so ill-handling that a record 21 caution flags slowed the action in a 250-mile race. Yeah, it was ugly at times. Early in the race, it seemed the field was unable to run more than ten miles without carnage ensuing.
Still, a late caution set up a good ol’ fashioned short track-style sprint to the finish. Jimmie Johnson had the lead, but Ryan Newman seemed to have his number. Just as Newman set Johnson up for the pass, though, David Ragan spun out for what had to be the hundredth time this season to help ensure him the “Not Ready For Prime Time” driving award. Johnson won the race under caution, the teams packed up what was left of their ugly new cars, and everyone went home.
Rating: B.
Atlanta
Jeff Gordon’s fifth championship seemed almost a foregone conclusion despite Johnson’s win at Martinsville. But at Atlanta, Jimmie put everyone on notice he still had a dog left in the fight.
As was normal this season, the first three quarters of the race were pretty sedate – but they heated up nicely late in the event. In fact, things got outright bizarre. Denny Hamlin was leading the race, but his team had badly miscalculated how much gas was left in the tank of the No. 11 car. On a restart, Hamlin ran out of gas and set off a field-decimating wreck. It was later learned that Hamlin and several other drivers had water in their gas tanks rather than fuel because of contamination issues in the pits.
With the sophomore in the garage, the field lined up for an all out shootout green/white/checkered finish … but it was not to be. Moments after the pack took the green flag, Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s rear tire took an unexpected detour towards Decatur. The race then finished under yellow, with Jimmie Johnson once again hoisting the hardware.
Rating: B-.
Texas
He’s baaaaa..ck. Matt Kenseth seemed to have this race in hand after a fierce duel with Denny Hamlin. While battling for the lead, Hamlin managed to wreck himself out of the race, seemingly handing the win to the No. 17 team. But a certain someone in a blue and silver Chevy with a big number 48 painted on the sides had something to say about that. Johnson dogged Kenseth in what might have been his best race of the season to take the lead with eight laps to go. And once Johnson had the lead, trying to take it from him was like trying to pry a T-bone steak out of the jaws of a pit bull. Johnson’s victory moved him into the points lead – and he wasn’t done yet. This driver was out to prove he was one very, very bad doggie.
Rating: C.
Phoenix
Johnson’s three race streak seemed to finally get the better of the seemingly imperturbable Jeff Gordon. Gordon had a fast car, but got into an on track squabble with Kevin Harvick – after which, the No. 24 car was never up to speed again. In the meantime, Martin Truex, Jr. had the lead; but Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson had faster cars. Once again, it was up to Kenseth to keep Johnson honest; but even the driver of the No. 17 car seemed daunted by the task, having asked over the radio whether to settle for second at Texas the week before. Once again, Johnson eventually got his number, driving on to his fourth straight win. After the race, Jeff Gordon conceded the title as well despite a spectacular season for him and his team. Gordon tried to backpedal away from his comments that week, but my guess is his surrender speech didn’t help boost ratings for Homestead much.
Rating: D.
Homestead
It was all over but the shouting at Homestead, and there wasn’t much shouting, either. With a whimper rather than a bang, the unseemly less than spectacular spectacle came to a preordained end at Homestead. Jimmie Johnson knew he didn’t have to win five straight races to win the title, and he adjusted his level of aggression accordingly. But Matt Kenseth had nothing to do but run for pride, and he did so accordingly… dominating the race. With no on-track drama to speak of, the media had a field day with an off-track incident in which Kasey Kahne put a security guard on his butt for denying his brother admittance to the motor coach lot. The fans let out a collective yawn. Doubtless, an out of court settlement will cost Kahne a bundle of cash; but as the newly anointed Bud Man, he has plenty to spare.
As the laps clicked off, Kurt Busch tried to run down Kenseth late – but it was not to be. Kenseth finally won a race, and Johnson took the championship for the second straight year. With that, the 2007 Cup season came to its long overdue end about a month too late based on the TV ratings for the last four weeks of the season. It remains to be seen how many fans will tune in next year to see Johnson vie for his third straight title, Gordon vie to win his fifth, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. try to finally win another race with his new team, and the rest of the field try to chase down the Hendrick Juggernaut like yappy little terriers in pursuit of a semi.
Rating: F.
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