NASCAR’s three national touring series found themselves in three different locations over the previous weekend. We watched an emotionally charged Sprint Cup winner on a Monday afternoon in Long Pond-Pennsylvania. We were treated to a spectacular Nationwide Series debut in Newton-Iowa and a piece of Camping World Truck Series history was extended even further in Nashville-Tennessee. With those thoughts in mind let’s begin with:
HOORAH to Denny Hamlin for returning to victory lane under some very trying personal circumstances. Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota was a rocket ship and he was a huge factor in this race much of the day.
But this young man was driving with a heavy heart. In recent days his grandmother passed away and, the truth be known, he probablyy didn’t feel like racing and would have preferred to be in Florida with his family. The race getting rained out on Sunday and rescheduled to Monday afternoon likely didn’t help Hamlin’s state of mind. Heartfelt condolences goes out to the Hamlin family during this time of loss.
HOORAH for the final twenty laps of the Sunoco Red Cross Pensylvania 500. This race was a genuine snooze festival until a multi car crash , with 26 laps left in the race, brought out the final caution flag. The moment the green fell on the double file restart, the cars began to fan out three and four wide. The race became a 20 lap free for all, with everyone looking to improve their positions, and it was very exciting.
This week’s HOORAH from making chicken salad out of chicken do do without question goes to Jimmie Johnson and the #48 Lowes team. A mysterious loss of power, later diagnosed as a faulty spark plug, had the reigning NASCAR champion mired in 34th position three laps down. The mammoth size of Pocono Raceway’s 2.5 mile triangle actually played a small role in the resolutionn of Johnson’s problem. With a track that large the entire field was on the lead lap except for Johnson. Three caution flags later Johnson received three successive free passes and returned to lead lap status. He raced through the field, following the final restart, and worked his way to a 12th place finish. This team’s refusal to give up in the face of adversity is exactly why they are three time champions.
Yet another driver who deserves a HOORAH for making chicken salad out of chicken do do is Tony Stewart. The current series points leader’s Pennsylvania weekend started off all wrong on Saturday afternoon when he crashed his primary car during the opening minutes of a practice session. The crash also cost Stewart the pole position which was determined by points after Friday’s qualifying was rained out.
Stewart started Monday’s race from the rear of the field in a back up car that was wicked loose. The car was completely undriveable and it forced Stewart to make an unscheduled pit stop for adjustments on lap 13. A series of additional adjustments, during subsequent stops, took the car to the opposite extreme and the handling became so tight it was almost impossible to turn. In the latter stage of the race the car eventually began to come around and that’s when crew chief Darrien Grubb made a gutsy call during their final pit stop. He called for fuel only to gain track position. The gamble worked and it allowed Stewart to turn a 25th place car into a top ten finish.
HOORAH to Juan Pablo Montoya for his second place finish that was created by a great call from his crew chief Brian Pattie. When it comes time to officially name the contestants for the Chase For The Championship , the Pocono race may very well be the reason why this Earnhardt Ganassi Racing team is part of that 12 man line up.
HOORAH to Clint Bowyer, and Richard Childress Racing, for their third place finish. The lack of performance from the RCR teams has been a mystery this year and to have one of their teams leading this race, as well as being a race winning contender, is a momentum booster the entire organization needs.
WAZZUP with Robby Gordon and David Stremme? These two drivers clearly had personal problems on the track. NASCAR officials assessed a five lap penalty for aggressive driving on Stremme. Gordon received a five lap penalty for hitting the Stremme during a caution lap.
This incident doesn’t bode well for either driver. Gordon is both the owner and driver for his team and will have to recover repair costs, on a car that was running this race unsponsored, out of his own pocket. While Stremme’s car is well sponsored and owned by a wealthy man, it’s hardly a secret that his performance levels this year has been sub standard and his job may be on the line. Then there’s the issue that says the race track is absolutely no place to seek revenge.
HOORAH to the Pocono Raceway maintenance staff for pulling an all night er Sunday to redirect the backed up water under the track surface. This water was seeping through the fissures in the track surface, commonly referred to as weepers, and that was the major reason why the race had to be postponed until Monday.
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